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Dear Families, April 30, 2020.
Our office is re-opening for non-emergency care on May 11, 2020 (unless additional restrictions are declared before that date). Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our patients, their families, and our staff. Due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) we have some important updates to share with you regarding our scheduling and clinical changes.
During the break we have reviewed each missed appointment and evaluated each child’s individual needs. We will call each parent with appointment options for meeting those needs in the coming weeks (not before May 5th). To reschedule in an organized and manageable way, we ask that you wait for us to call you about your child’s appointment. If you would like to contact us with your new insurance information the best way to do so is by emailing frontdesk@febresdds.com.
We understand your concerns about Coronavirus. We are asking all scheduled patients on May 12 to May 29th to wait for our call to determine if we are keeping that appointment or moving it later due to schedule availability. However, if you are experiencing symptoms of any respiratory virus please inform us. Specifically, this means anyone who has, or recently had a fever and is coughing, sneezing or having difficulty breathing, as well as anyone who has been exposed to someone with the COVID-19 virus. Our staff may not be available to answer the phone, in that case, please leave a voicemail with patient name, date scheduled and explaining your needs.
For patients that have pending appointments, our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You will be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
Some changes you should expect to see during your appointment include:
- We will be taking temperatures of parents and children on arrival to the office. If you have any symptoms of illness, please stay home.
- Families will be separated following social distancing guidelines during their time in the office.
- Only one parent should accompany each patient and siblings should stay home if they are not being seen to minimize the number of people in the office.
- We ask that parents, and possibly patient, wear face masks when in the office.
- We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time. We also ask that you do not arrive more than 10 min prior to your scheduled time.
There are more particular guidelines to follow before, during and after your visit. We have sent our current patients a thorough email with that information.
Our goal is to keep our staff and patients safe while taking care of their dental needs. We remind our little ones to keep brushing their teeth at least twice a day and floss before going to bed. Practicing good oral hygiene will reduce the chances of needing emergency dental care.
We hope to see you soon!
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To: Patients that are under orthodontic treatment or evaluation. April 7, 2020
As our office remains closed for non-emergency care, we understand our patients undergoing orthodontic treatment may have questions and concerns.
We are available to you, 24/7 via our emergency phone line 1-832-900 2329. Please leave a message with patient name and a phone number to contact you back. You can also call the office and follow the prompts to reach the emergency phone. For non-emergency comments you can continue writing to frontdesk@febresdds.com and a staff member will reach you within 48 hours.
We are also available at the office, for patients who are pain or distress, on an emergency basis. Appointment time will be determined when you contact the emergency line. Please be aware that our automatic reminder system is currently disconnected, so keep track of the agreed upon time and date.
Remember you can reach us via phone/text at 832-900-2329, We are happy to use Facetime / pictures or other such technology to assist you in anyway, if needed.
Dr. Febres has put together some Questions and Answers regarding your ongoing Orthodontic Care.
How long will the office be closed?
We are hopeful that we will resume regular scheduling and patient care starting April 30th. Given the changing situation, we will be continually re-assessing the need to alter the schedule, and we will keep you informed via text and email. Be aware that as dentist (and health care providers) we must answer to guidelines from the ADA, CDC and local authorities. The safety of our patients, our staff, and our community are of utmost importance.
Will my orthodontic care be negatively affected?
A short interruption (weeks up to few months) in orthodontic adjustment appointments will not impact your overall progress. Braces technology and wires have the ability to withstand time. Should the interruption last longer, there may be an overall effect on your scheduled progress. We should be able to advance and “catch up” your treatment, when the situation settles.
Some adjustments are time sensitive, so we will reach individually patients that fall on this category and must be seen.
How should I proceed if I am wearing elastics or have an appliance such as an Expander?
The good news is that your care advances even when we don’t see you in the office; in fact, this is how it works- your teeth get straight all day and night with the braces. Continue to wear your elastics as directed. If something starts to feel like it is wrong, STOP your elastic wear and contact us.
You may run out of elastics, in this case, please let us know as soon as you have 10 elastic bands or less. The doctor will need to know which “bag” do you wear and where can we send you a replacement bag. Contact the emergency phone line 832-900 2329 and describe your case to doctor Febres. She will then contact the appropriate staff to follow-up.
If you have an Expander (RPE, NPE, or similar), as several of our patients do, please turn the Expander as instructed and then STOP until we have checked to determine the need for further turning.
What should I do if I am scheduled to start treatment soon, or I was scheduled for an orthodontic consultation with Dr. Febres?
We are praying and hoping that this schedule alteration will be short. When the situation stabilizes, we will contact back our patients. We have, or will be rescheduling all missed appointments due to office closure. You will definitely hear from us. Make sure you have added our contact numbers to your caller ID (281-597 0404 / 281-597 0770 / 281-598 0191) so that you can answer our call.
My child has a poky wire, loose brace, or other irritation that is bothering him. His appliance seems loose or disconnected from the tooth, what should I do?
Call us 832-900 2329 and provide details. You can also send a picture to that phone. Make sure you tell us who you are! You should also be familiar with home remedies such as wax and nail clippers. Beyond that, we will instruct you on possible solutions to your problem. If necessary, we will schedule you to come in to the office.
Will patients be allowed in the office at all? Is anyone there?
Our office is closed. Doctor and staff will only be on the premises if an appointment has been scheduled. We will however, limit access to the office to one patient and parent at a time, while keeping social distancing as far as possible. Please call us if you feel the need to come to the office. Please do not walk in. We are glad to hear from you, and we will provide specific instructions on what you should do. Thank you for your patience with this!
What about getting my braces off?
Although dental care is very safe for patients and providers overall with universal precautions and hospital level sterilization protocols, cleaning of teeth and removal of orthodontic bonding material produces aerosols that can contain biologic material. As expressed by our health authorities, anyone can be an asymptomatic carrier.
Just like you, we are excited that this moment has arrived; your treatment is finished and those braces are ready to come off. At this time, a deferral of removing braces is a good practice. Unfortunately, we must wait for the passing of this pandemic situation. Furthermore, once your braces are off we will need to fabricate a retainer from a mold of your teeth. Currently the lab is closed. Once all the services necessary to remove your braces are fully operational, we will look into removing your braces.
We will reach out closer to when the office is scheduled to open.
Best wishes and prayers in these trying times,
Dr Febres and her team!
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To: All patients on schedule between April 7 and April 30th April 2, 2020
As we continue monitoring the Coronavirus transmission and guidelines from our authorities and the ADA, our office will continue closed for all elective treatment through April 30th. We will contact you as soon as the office reopens or if this date changes. Here are some more details you should know:
- If you have a dental emergency, please contact us at 832-900 2329 and we will take care of you. If you are in pain, have a broken tooth or an abscess make sure you leave a detailed message.
- For regular questions, you can leave a voicemail at 281-597 0404, email us at frontdesk@febresdds.com, or text 539-210-3718. Please allow up to 48 hrs to get back to you
- Currently, all appointments previously scheduled between April 3 and April 30, are cancelled.
- If you have essential ongoing treatment with us, we will be reaching out to each of you individually.
- If you have an emergency that cannot wait, please dial
- Please add the additional office numbers to your contact information for Febres Dentistry for Children 281-597 0770, 281-598-0191. We want to be able to reach you to rescheduled your appointment once things have settled down.
We wish you all good health, and continue practicing oral and hand hygiene habits. Please know that we will get through this together!
Be safe,
The team at PRACTICE
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Message from Febres Dentistry for Children to all out patients March 19, 2020
Dear Parents,
As we continue responding to guidance from the American Dental Association and other appropriate authorities regarding measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, Febres Dentistry for Children will be closed for non-emergency dental care between March 18 and April 3. Should a further extension of “social distancing” guidelines be made, we will update you as soon as a decision is made.
Read below regarding some questions you may have in the upcoming days:
Emergency options
We remain available 24/7 via our emergency contact line. To reach us during an emergency please call the office and follow the instructions on the voicemail. We will also be available for patients that are in pain or discomfort.
Lines of Communication Available
- Main Phone line is 281-597 0404, leave voicemail for non-urgent messages.
- Add the following numbers to your contact list for Febres Dentistry for Children 281-597 0404 / 281-597 0770 / 281-598 0191. When we try to reach you, you may want to know it is us calling and not a scam phone call.
- Text message 539-210 3718 or email frontdesk@febresdds.com for general questions. We will monitor remotely, but may answer in 24 hrs.
- Dental emergencies only: 832-900 2329 leave a detailed message and how to contact you.
Patients with appointments between March 18 and April 3, cancelled.
We have sent cancellation emails and text messages to our patients previously scheduled on that period of time. If you received this message, kindly reply that you are aware your appointment has been cancelled so that we don’t have to try to contact you in another way. If you have already replied, please disregard this message.
Only true emergencies or orthodontic time sensitive treatments will be seen, those patients are being contacted directly by our staff to modify their appointment time.
Patients with appointments after April 6, on hold.
Currently, the plan is to be able to see patients after April 6th. However, this is an ongoing situation that will be reassessed when the time comes. We ask that you stay tuned to any updates. In the meantime, if you know in advance you would like to cancel a previously scheduled appointment, just leave us a voice mail with the patient name, date of appointment and narrative to cancel. We will send you a text message once we cancel that appointment. Once our office is open again, call us when you are ready to reschedule.
Paying balances
Some statements may have gone out before our office closed. You can send a check with your payment via mail. You can also send an email to frontdesk@febresdds.com with CALL FOR PAYMENT on the subject line; and details on how to contact you. When we call you back, you can make that payment over the phone with a credit card.
Sincerely, the Team at Febres Dentistry for Children
