Coronavirus Update

WIth Orange County moving back into the Purple Tier, we are re-doubling our efforts to safeguard our patient’s health and we need your help:

– If you have COVID symptoms, please reschedule your appointment.
– Wear a mask to your appointment.
– Please be punctual as we are staggering appointment times to increase social distancing.
– If at all possible, we ask that the patient alone come into the office; siblings and friends are asked to please remain in the car. If parents decide to remain in the car we can communicate via phone or text to schedule future visits.

The Olsen Orthodontics team will continue to use N-95 masks, frequently wipe down common surfaces, run air filters to clean the air, and follow other CDC guidelines to maintain your safety. Thanks for doing your part to help us keep everyone safe and maintain social distancing as we get through this pandemic. We got this!

We are OPEN for Regularly Scheduled Appointments! We look forward to seeing you as soon as possible. If you haven’t already heard from us, please text us at 949-542-7799 or email info@ocbraces.com and we’ll schedule you as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Dear All Olsen Orthodontics Patients:

We hope you and your family in good health.  As we prepare to open our office for regularly scheduled appointments, we want to update you on additional steps we are taking to keep everyone healthy and safe.  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. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable.  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.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment, for example: 

·        If possible, we ask that only the patient come into the office. If one parent or guardian feels more comfortable accompanying a child into the office, of course you are welcome, but we ask that siblings or other friends stay in the car or at home.

·        We can schedule via phone or text (949-542-7799) and any treatment related questions for Dr. Olsen can be emailed to ocbraces@gmail.com.

·        We ask that you do our best to arrive at your designated appointment time to help us do our best to manage patient flow in order to keep everyone socially distanced.

·        We will do our best to reduce wait times for you.  If you want to remain in your car during your child’s appointment we will communicate with you via text or phone.  

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

·        For previously scheduled appointments, we may need to make small shifts in your appointment time to accommodate social distancing.  We’ll reach out to confirm these changes.

·        For now, our waiting room will have no magazines or children’s toys, and the video games are turned off since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

·        Upon your arrival to our office you will have your temperature taken and will be asked some screening questions and will be asked to sign a form consenting to treatment.  This can be done on a paper form (you get to take the pen home as a souvenir!) or on one of our iPads, which will be disinfected between patients.

·        The CDPH (CA Dept of Public Health) has mandated that everyone that visits our office must wear a mask.  If you arrive without a mask, one will be provided for you.

·        We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office.

·        We ask that patients brush at home if possible in order to decrease the amount of time in the office and maintain cleanliness. In addition, we ask that patients use the bathroom only if urgent.

·        CDPH has also asked that dental offices avoid aerosolizing procedures as much as possible.  These procedures involve the use of a drill, and the risk is that use of the drill will spread whatever germs the patient may be carrying into the air of the entire office.  This means that procedures like braces removal and fixing broken brackets are being delayed.  Gratefully, most of our procedures do not produce aerosols and can be performed very safely.

·        You will notice additional barriers that have been placed to help maintain social distancing.

·        We will continue to work to keep everyone healthy by maintaining a minimum of 6 feet between patients, alternating patient chairs, using air filters and UV cleaners, frequently wiping down common surfaces, and wearing masks and other protective gear.

As you can see, we continue to do whatever we can to ensure that we provide you with quality orthodontic services while keeping you and all our patients healthy and safe. 

While we would like to see every single one of our patients the first day we open, due to social distancing requirements this is not possible.  We will start reaching out to schedule patients as quickly and safely as possible.  Of course, we must give priority to those who were scheduled right when we were asked to close our office.  We plan to work overtime and extended days to get you in as quickly and safely as possible, but we ask for your patience.  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.

If you have further questions, please email us at info@ocbraces.com or text 949-542-7799. 

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

Sincerely,

Dr. Olsen & Team

Update #5 from Dr. Olsen — we hope to be fully open for regular appointments by the end of the month!  As soon as the CDPH removes the mandate for emergency visits only, we will reach out to our patients to schedule appointments.

Update #4 from Dr. Olsen and his kids!  His hair does seem a bit shorter than in previous videos…Stay healthy!

Update #3 from Dr. Olsen. 

Update #2 from Dr. Olsen…stay safe and healthy!

A note on Rescheduling

Olsen Orthodontics Family:

We hope you are finding any silver lining you can in what is turning into one of life’s major curveballs! Considering the rapidly changing events, we will continue to communicate how newly released information affects our practice.

At Olsen Orthodontics we are doing our part to help quell the pandemic that is COVID-19. To help prevent the transmission of all respiratory infections, including COVID-19, we will continue to adhere to standardized infection control measures meant to prevent the transmission of all such pathogens.

**In keeping with the current Stay at Home Directive we are suspending our regularly scheduled appointments until future notice.** Please disregard any appointment reminders you may receive.

Because the situation is so rapidly changing, we do not know when we will be able to continue with regularly scheduled appointments. As of 3/16/20, the CDA (California Dental Association) has recommended that dentists voluntarily suspend non-urgent or non-emergency dental care for 2 weeks. The ADA (American Dental Association) has asked that we consider a 3 week suspension. The California Stay at Home Directive does not yet have an end date.

In spite of it all, we are finding ways to help support your family as best we can. There are a number of ways that you can get a hold of us during this temporary suspension of normal operating hours.

1) Pressing questions:
– If you have clinical (orthodontic) questions about your orthodontic appliances, please email them to Dr. Olsen at ocbraces@gmail.com. Please feel free to include photos of things about which you have questions and he will respond as soon as possible.

– Any non-clinical questions can be directed to info@ocbraces.com.

– We are currently looking into ways to handle some questions and concerns using virtual consultations for certain types of appointments. Stay tuned!

Please understand that we are not in the office (not to mention that Dr. Olsen is at home wrangling his 6 children) so we will respond as quickly as possible.

2) True Orthodontic Emergencies
If you have a true orthodontic emergency, then we will find a way to help you take care of it by attempting to help handle the issue remotely. If you or your child are in pain or are bleeding, please call our number (949) 542-7799 and press ‘0’ at the end of the message and you’ll be connected to Dr. Olsen. We will do everything we can to help you handle the situation remotely. If the situation can’t be resolved remotely, other arrangements will be made.

There are a lot of unknowns right now; we understand that you or your child have appliances in your mouth that need to be monitored. We will continue to support our patients while also following CDC, County, State, Federal, and other recommendations to help keep both our patients and our team members safe. As more information emerges we will update you.

Thanks for your understanding as we all do our part in helping quell the pandemic that is COVID-19. Working together we will get through this!

Sincerely,
Dr. Olsen & Team