Dear Lincolnway Dental Center Family,

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. On behalf of Dr. Kim and the team at Lincolnway Dental Center, we would like to a take moment and thank you for trusting us and praying for us. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and we are all 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 is our utmost concern. Our office is making changes even beyond recommended guidelines:

• We are installing a hospital grade air purification system in every treatment room. It is the NOVAERUS air purification system that combats the spread of airborne pathogens. Backed by scientific evidence, the NOVAERUS system effectively kills any potential virus, bacteria, and mold particles in the air.
• We are installing Dryshield products into the intraoral high-speed evacuation system, which is a dental suction to reduce aerosol splash and splatter by 90-95%.
• We are installing extraoral dental suction unit aspirators which will benefit UV disinfection and plasma sterilization. This system will greatly reduce the risk of cross-infection between doctors and patients, thereby better protecting respiratory health.
• We have installed UV lights to kill any contaminants that cannot be removed by antiviral products.
• We have all of the required Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for our team as recommend by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA), and Illinois State Dental Society (ISDS).
• We will undergo Covid -19 IgG/IgM Test before reopening the office.
• We have installed a plexiglass shield at the front counter to protect the staff and patients.

Here is the phased approach to reopening our office:

1. May 19-29 - Opening the office for a business retreat and scheduling patients.
2. May 27 - Rehearsal for wearing proper PPE and disinfecting the treatment rooms.
3. June 1 - Dr. Kim will begin seeing non-emergency patients.
4. June 1 - Our Hygiene Team will begin seeing patients.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice. Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA), and Illinois State Dental Society (ISDS). We follow the activities of these agencies, so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We want our patients to feel safe and comfortable. We are also making procedural updates to help keep everyone healthy. Some of those updates include:

1) Our team will take health screening and temperature two times a day;

2) We will wear proper PPE and disinfect the treatment rooms after each patient;

3) We will conduct COVID-19 health screenings via telephone or text:

a) when you are making an appointment;

b) one day before your appointment; and

c) curbside screening when you arrive

4) If your answer to any one of our health questions is YES, we will have you reschedule your appointment, or we will ask you to bring a doctor's note;

5) Please wear your mask;

6) A team member will meet you at the front entrance of our office and will escort you inside;

7) The team member will take your temperature to ensure it is less than 100°F and ask you to sanitize your hands;

8) We will have one-way entrance and exit;

9) In the treatment room:

a) we will ask you to pre-rinse your mouth for one minute with 1% hydrogen peroxide; and

b) we will wear new PPE for each treatment room before starting treatment;

c) we will alternate treatment rooms between each patient, allowing for optimal disinfection of the room

10) After treatment:

a) team member will escort the patient via the one-way exit to better manage social distancing;

b) business associate will check outpatient; we are encouraging payment and communication via text message

OUR OFFICE WILL ALWAYS SHARE UPDATES AND FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES FOR OUR HEALTH SAFETY AS WELL AS THAT OF OUR PATIENTS

We are looking forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we will take to keep you and every patient safe at our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at 630-897-1300 or visit our website at http://www.linconwaydentalcenter.com

We are so thankful to you for being our patient, trusting, loving us, and praying for us. It has been a very hard journey during the past few months. A couple of our former team members are not coming back when we reopen. We are very sad, but we will still be in contact with each other and praying for each other. We are all learning to accept this "new norm," and we give thanks for what we have!

We hope that you and your family stay safe and healthy, and we are looking forward to seeing you soon. You will be in our prayers every morning huddle!

We love you and God Bless!

Dr. Kim and LDC Team

Sincerely,

Young H. Kim, D.M.D.

Lincolnway Dental Center, Inc.

[email protected]

(630) 897-1300

(630) 276-6406 (cell)