Keeping You Safe at Okun Orthodontics during the CoronaVirus Pandemic

We closed our office at Okun Orthodontics, except for urgent care/emergencies, for the last three weeks of March, ending April 5, 2020, at the recommendation of the American Dental Association and the Department of Health because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When we re-open in April we will continue to follow precautions to limit the spread of Corona Virus.  Steps we have incorporated for the foreseeable future include:

Distancing: All patient families will be sent to different room to await their turn.  The goal is that one family does not breathe on another.  If your family group is too large for the treatment room, please have some of your family members wait in the car.  If anyone in your family is sick, please leave them at home. In addition, we will not be greeting anyone with handshakes and hugs.

Hand Washing: Upon entering a treatment room, everyone will wash their hands with antimicrobial soap and water.

High touch areas will be minimized and disinfected: Doors to the stairwells and to our office are propped open so that you do not need to touch doorknobs. Handles of waiting room chairs as well as treatment room surfaces will be disinfected frequently.

Pre-treatment rinsing: We have ordered ioRinse, a natural and organic antiviral mouthwash which does not contain alcohol, for patients to use before treatment. IoRinse has been proven effective at inactivating Coronavirus, Rhinovirus and Norovirus at 25ppm molecular iodine. The ioRinse formula is 4x the experimental strength. By pretreatment rinsing we will minimize generation of airborne virus during our procedures.

UV light: We have six Germguardian UV-C Air Sanitizers to kill airborne pathogens. They are located in all "patient access" rooms of the office.

Air circulation: We are leaving the windows open and are using fans to circulate the air. Before the age of antibiotics Tuberculosis and Influenza were treated with fresh air and sunlight. Patients in open air tents did significantly better than patients in closed barracks.

During difficult times it is important to work together. I have always stressed the team approach to our patient’s treatment and look forward to your participation in the team effort to control this pandemic crisis.
Judith A. Okun DMD
14 Rye Ridge Plaza, Suite 243, Rye Brook, NY 10573 (914) 253-0722