07/17/2020
Our patients safety and well being is our top priority. Our office follows infection control recommendations set 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 are available for elective procedures, dental emergencies and regular oral hygiene maintenance. When you make an appointment with our practice you will be asked a list of questions including current health status and also regarding exposure to COVID. We will continue these screening questionnaires for your safety until further notice.
If you feel you are not feeling well, have a temperature or have been recently exposed to COVID, we can reschedule your appointment for a later date.
Our team is always willing and available for any questions or concerns you may have.
05/15/2020
To our patients:
We hope 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. We continue to see patients for emergency treatments. 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 is both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients safe and staff sage.
Our office follows infection control recommendations set 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 have or will see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We have made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:
- 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.
- We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
- You will see that our lobbies are closed, and we are asking our patients to wait in their cars or outside until the assistant/hygienist is ready to take them back.
- For everyone’s safety, according to the New Mexico regulations, we wear masks for you, so we ask that you wear a mask when you are in our office.
- Appointments will be managed to accommodate social distancing between patients. That might mean that you are offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
- 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.
When the time is right, we look forward to seeing you again. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. Please feel free to call our office (575)382-2105
Thank you for being our patient or your interest in our website. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends when that time comes.
Sincerely,
Dr. Joshua Elliss
Dr. Roberto Espinoza
Dr. Jared Southwell
Dr. Narek Akopyan
05/11/2020
Due to our current Stay-At-Home extension, we will continue to see dental emergencies at this time. We will update regularly as information is given to us.
05/06/2020 UPDATE
Our office will be reopening May 18th 2020 for all dental services. We always follow very strict universal precautions to protect our patients and staff while continuing to avoid spreading any infection. We will continue these practices but also implement special patient accommodations to achieve everything possible to protect you, so you are able to maintain your dental visits. We want to assure you that your health and safety comes first. We have and will continue to monitor the appropriate sources for accurate and up-to-date information to relay onto you when needed. We are here for your questions or concerns, always. We are looking forward to seeing all of you soon!
03/24/2020 UPDATE
To our Community,
These last weeks have been the most bewildering that most of us have collectively endured. This anxious time has been a struggle not only for the sick, but for those who have been laid off or furloughed. Our own company has met every night discussing what to do next, and what the right thing a compassionate, responsible company would do. We have had to make some very difficult decisions, and we have prayed and pondered about how we can best manage and help in this crazy situation.
Governor Lujan-Grisham has ordered all dental offices to be shut down for elective and routine treatment (i.e.,cleanings and scheduled exams). The Governor has also made it clear that dental offices stay open for emergency treatment (toothaches, swelling, dental trauma, and oral facial pain) to keep dental emergency patients out of the hospitals. We understand this necessity, and we have plans to stay open, as directed, for these types of intentional treatments.
As we were pondering the situation and our role as health care professionals, we realized that many people are now in a very tenuous financial situation, and that they may not be able to afford to go to a dental office in an emergency. We realized that the best thing we can do for our community is to help the people in need and to support the physicians, nurses, and hospital staff by keeping these people out of the emergency room.
To that end, we will be conducting emergency exams for free from now until April 10th. If the patient can be safely treated, we will perform limited emergency procedures, without charge. We will perform these exams and procedures 8 am to 5 pm, 7 days a week. If we need to extend hours we may, at the request of the hospitals. If we do not have people come or call in, we may reduce hours as necessary.
Understand that we do not have the recommended personal protective equipment PPE recommended by the American Dental Association for treatment of coronavirus and many exams may be with the patient still in their vehicles. People will need to come at their own risk.
Recognizing that our staff needs to be paid for their hours of work, we ask that those that can pay for services do so. This will help defray the cost of staying open.
Respectively,
Cory Thompson DMD, Bobby Espinoza DMD, Jared Southwell DDS, Narek Akopyan DMD, Laura Plue DDS
Mike Pinholster DDS, John Gordon DDS and Joshua Elliss DMD
03/23/2020 UPDATE
With the recent world effort concerning COVID-19, we are doing everything we can to keep our patients, teams and communities healthy & safe. The New Mexico Dental Association has suggested that all dental offices cease routine care and see patients for emergencies only. Our office will comply with these recommendations in an effort to slow and or to stop the spread of the virus and will remain open for dental emergencies until we are able to operate fully. We will be available for any and all dental emergencies for all existing and or new patients. Examples of emergencies: patient that shows signs of infection, or loss or significant injury of a permanent tooth, Wisdom teeth causing pain. Please see the list below of more dental emergencies.
As always, we value your support and loyalty, our patients are the heart of our business, you are our family. You and your family’s safety and wellbeing will always be our # 1 priority. Together we will get through this. Take care of yourself and others.
For accurate information concerning COVID-19 and current updates please visit the CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Or
New Mexico Department of Health
Dental Emergency
1. Uncontrolled bleeding that won’t stop
2. Painful swelling in or around your mouth
3. Pain in a tooth, teeth or jawbone
4. Gum infection with pain and swelling
5. Trauma involving facial bones, potentially compromising the airway
6. Dental trauma causing pain or swelling
7. After surgery treatment (dressing change, stitch removal)
8. Broken, fractured or knocked out tooth
9. Denture adjustment for people receiving radiation or other treatment for cancer
10. Denture adjustments or repairs when function is impeded
11. Biopsy of abnormal tissue
12. Abscess, or localized bacteria infection resulting in localized pain and swelling
13. Dental treatment required prior to critical medical procedures
14. Third molar (wisdom teeth) pain
15. Final crown/bridge cementation if the temporary restoration is lost, broken or causing irritation or pain
16. Defective restorations causing pain
17. Replacing temporary filling that is causing pain
03/13/2020
To Our Patients…
Over the past few weeks, it has become clear that our town, state and world are facing an unprecedented challenge. Like you, we are concerned and want to do what we can to help keep our patients, staff, community and our families safe and healthy.
We always follow very strict universal precautions to protect our patients and staff to avoid spreading infection. We will continue these practices but also implement special patient accommodations to achieve everything possible to protect you, so you are able to maintain your dental visits. We want to assure you that your health and safety comes first.
We have and will continue to monitor the appropriate sources for accurate and up-to-date information to relay onto you when needed. We are here for your questions or concerns, always. We want to share some extra steps of precautions we are doing, offering or suggesting for complete safety.
- Patients are welcome to wait in their car until the time of their appointment, you can communicate with the front office either by text or phone. Let us know when you arrive, and we will contact you when the team is ready to take you back for your appointment.
- We will be monitoring our teams’ health daily to ensure extra health security for everyone’s safety.
- If you are elderly and suffering with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes or lung disease, you are at higher risk and should take all the specific precautions suggested by the CDC. Stay out of the public to ensure your safety.
We recognize this is a challenging time and we remain committed to the safety of our patients, teams, and community. You are family to us, take care of yourself and others.
Please visit the CDC for more tips and current updates: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
- Urgent Dental Care