COVID-19 Updates

COVID-19 New Office Protocol

Our goals and vision have always been to provide the highest available quality dental care to our Hawaii community. At your next appointment, in addition to upholding the OSHA standards that we have always maintained, you will notice updated office protocols, new technology, and additional equipment above and beyond the required. Please read them over so you know what to expect when you come to your appointment.

1.       Prior to Your Appointment: 

• Patients will be asked to complete a new health screening and a verbal consent for treatment.

• We may ask you to pay your patient co-pay over the phone for contactless payment.

2.       Your Arrival:

• Please wear a mask upon entering the building and our office.

• We ask that patients check-in by coming into the office and letting us know you have arrived. We may ask you to wait in the hallway in case we are checking out another patient to limit contact with other patients.

3.       Additional Prevention Measures: 

• Patients will be given a hydrogen peroxide oral rinse and asked to wash their hands before being taken directly to the operatory chair.

4.       Temperature checks:

• All team members and patients will be screened daily. Anyone with a temperature of 100° or higher will not be permitted to enter our building.

5.       Our New ‘Look’: 

• Our staff will be fully donned with PPE (personal protection equipment) happy to see you and still smiling underneath it all. Lab coats are changed for every patient.

6.       Behind the Scenes: 

• As always, each operatory will be meticulously prepared for your arrival. In addition to every surface being treated with the proper disinfection tools, we have added individual air purifiers that remove bacteria and viruses in room.

7.       End of Your Appointment: 

• At the end of your dental cleaning appointment, Dr. Ho will come in to complete the dental exam. We will keep this to a 5-minute maximum to reduce exposure time. However, if you have more questions or need more time to chat with Dr. Ho, then a follow up phone call with be scheduled.

• We will schedule your next appointment and email your receipt. You may request a paper copy if you wish.

We appreciate your understanding regarding our new procedures and hope you appreciate the added safety measures we are taking to ensure your care. Thank you for allowing us to be a dedicated part of your healthcare team.

Extraoral Dental Suction System

Our office has an extraoral suction machine that reduces aerosols in the air during a dental procedure.

A Message from Dr. Stephen Ho

5/4/2020

Dear Valued Patient,

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

1.     We will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.

2.     We may ask you to prepay your co-pay over the phone to limit contact with money.

3.     Please wear a mask while in the building and entering our office.

4.     We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. We will also have you wash your hands before your appointment begins.

5.     Our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, or any reading material, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

6.     Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.

7.     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 look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at or email us at stephenhodds808@gmail.com

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and ohana.

Sincerely, Dr. Ho & Team