Resource Library for Dentists During the COVID-19 Pandemic

At LocalFresh, we stand ready to help you through this challenging time.

With cities and states around the country beginning to shut down patient access to all non-urgent medical care, clear and concise communication between your practice and patients is more important than ever.

That’s why we have created a resource library to help you communicate necessary information to your patients quickly so they can stay informed about their dental care options and how they can best continue to contact your practice. These resources include email templates, social media posts, blog posts, communications plans for your internal staff and patients, as well as convenient links to COVID-19 news and updates.

We are here for you and we will get through this together.

Resources for Closing Dental Practices

For clients who have had to SHUT DOWN during this period of emergency-only dental care, this resource library will help provide:

  • A template email explaining to patients why you have decided to close during this period and when you plan to reopen.
  • Social media posts to your patients informing them about your decision, and providing them tips on how to best manage their oral health care in the interim.
  • Blog posts on how patients can best protect themselves from the virus, and what they can do at home to better strengthen their oral hygiene routines.
  • Website changes indicating that your office is now closed and when it might reopen.

Resources for Emergency Dental Practices

For clients who have decided to STAY OPEN to provide emergency dental care during this time Local Fresh can provide:

  • A template email explaining to patients that you will remain open for emergency dental cases only.
  • Informational post on what constitutes a dental emergency, and how to contact your office during this time.
  • Chatbots that enable you to remotely monitor patient queries, and training on how your staff can man these bots from home.
  • Social media posts to your patients informing them about the availability of emergency dental care through your office.
  • Website changes that indicate your new emergency hours.

Communication Plan for Dental Offices

INTERNAL:

  • Daily huddle meeting via Zoom - it's so important to keep up the morale (yours and theirs)!
  • Suggest that they file for things like unemployment and SNAP, even if it's only temporarily. Provide links for them.
  • Listen to your call recordings to see what can be improved upon.
  • Update your on hold message.
  • Update your after hours message.
  • Cut back on Google Ads budget and change focus to Emergency Services.
  • This is the best time to put together a structured plan. Think about how patients are going to get to know you now and when this is over, how to create interest, how to know when there's a lead, how to foster open curiosity in your phone team, write blog posts, etc.
  • OSAP has a list of effective disinfectants for COVID-19 on their website
  • Check to see that you have a good line of credit with your bank. Shop amongst other banks.
  • Remember that you have gotten through every tough situation in your life, even the worst thing that's ever happened to you - you made it. You will make it through this, too!

FOR PATIENTS:

  • Try to have someone still answering the phones, even if it's from home. 80% of calls that go to voicemail, hang up and don't call back.
  • Send emails to patients, letting people know you are present and available for emergencies. You might even do a series of emails, like once a week.
  • Consider calling current patients. You can assign this to some of your crew who are working from home (if anyone is).
  • Now is a great time to dive into social media. Jumping on there and doing a Live will go a long way with patients. It's also a great way to show your concern and personality. Make a social media calendar.

COVID-19 Dental Resources and News

American Dental Association (ADA)

Coronavirus Resource Center

COVID-19 Fact Sheet

FAQs

ADA Recommendation on Postponement of Elective Dental Care

Center for Disease Control (CDC)

COVID-19 Situation Summary Page

Information for Healthcare Professionals

Flowchart to Identify and Assess 2019 Novel Coronavirus

List of Countries with Level 3 Travel Health Notice

EPA

Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2

OSHA

Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19

WHO

Situation Reports

HR for Health  COVID-19 Employer Obligations & FAQ

Part 1
Part 2

Dental Web Conference about COVID-19

ACT Dental

Local Fresh News

Press Release

 

Forms, Guides and Checklist

Billing for teledentistry guide from the ADA

Click Here

COVID-19 Employee Consent Form:

Click Here

COVID-19 Emergency Dental Treatment Consent Form

Click Here

COVID-10 Dental Patient Consent Form

Click Here

Temporary Closure Checklist

Click Here

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How to Update Your Google My Business Information

Here is Google's guide to keep your customers aware of your changes on your Google My Business (Google Maps) listings.

Click Here