COVID-19: An Update from Li’l Sunshine Smiles Dentistry

COVID-19 Dental Office Update: Keeping You Safe

The following COVID-19 dental office update has been prepared to help our dental family at Li’l Sunshine Smiles Dentistry navigate through this changing time.

The state of Florida has directed all hospitals, surgery centers, dental, orthodontic and endodontic offices to cease performing elective services until May 8, 2020. As a result of this executive order, our office will only see patients with urgent or emergency dental needs, such as dental or facial trauma, severe tooth fracture, dental pain or swelling.

We will continue to closely monitor updates from the CDC, American Dental Association and our state and federal officials and keep you informed of any changes to our operations.

Please contact 813-576-0200 if you have a dental emergency or urgent need. If you do not reach us, please leave a message with your name, phone number and a brief description of your symptoms, and we will return your call as soon as possible.

What We Are Doing to Keep You Safe

As you are aware, COVID-19 is and will continue to affect all people and businesses around the world.  At Li’l Sunshine Smiles Dentistry, we take our customers’ and employees’ safety very seriously. Safety is, and will continue to be, an important factor when working together.  We will continue to take measures that will reduce risk to you and your home while also still being able to provide the services that you need. To date, the staff at Li’l Sunshine Smiles Dentistry have taken proactive measures by following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations.  This includes:

• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Washing our hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Covering a cough or sneeze.
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Screening patients that visit our office.
• Ensuring staff is healthy and taking the proper best-health practices.

Please help us in limiting the spread of COVID-19 by also following the CDC recommendations.  We are happy to reschedule appointments if you feel ill. Please contact us beforehand to make those necessary changes.

Li’l Sunshine Smiles Dentistry is committed to serving our patients and our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to support the American Dental Association’s recommendation, we have been postponing all non-urgent appointments.

We pledge to make ourselves as available as possible during this time to serve our patients and those in the community who are experiencing dental emergencies.

If you are experiencing a dental emergency, please contact our office and we will advise accordingly.

What Treatments Can You Receive at This Time?

In a statement issued April 1, the American Dental Association (ADA) called on dentists nationwide to postpone non-urgent dental procedures through April 30 in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Concentrating on emergency and urgent dental care only during this period will allow dentists and their teams to care for emergency patients and reduce the burden that dental emergencies would place on hospital emergency departments.

Dental care you can reschedule for another time:

• Regular visits for exams, cleanings and x-rays
• Removal of teeth that aren’t painful
• Treatment of cavities that aren’t painful
• Tooth whitening

Dental care that you should have taken care of by a dentist at this time:

• Bleeding that doesn’t stop
• Painful swelling in or around your mouth
• Pain in a tooth, teeth or jaw bone
• Gum infection with pain or swelling
• After surgery treatment (dressing change, stitch removal)
• Broken or knocked out tooth
• Denture adjustment for people receiving radiation or other treatment for cancer
• Snipping or adjusting wire of braces that hurts your cheek or gums
• Biopsy of abnormal tissue

Thank you for reading our COVID-19 dental office update! At Li’l Sunshine Smiles Dentistry, there is nothing more important than the health and well-being of our patients, team, and community. Stay healthy and safe. If you should have any questions about this COVID-19 dental office update or our closure related to COVID-19, please give us a call at: 813-576-0200.