On April 22, Governor Ducey issued an executive order allowing a return to clinical operations for Arizona dentists.  Throughout our mandated closure, I had the opportunity to help several patients with dental emergencies and I can tell you that with each week we are closed...the frequency and severity of dental emergencies is increasing.  We have always been big believers in preventative dentistry, so we are happy for the opportunity to return to operations and help maintain the oral health of our dental family.  I have always felt it is best to "put out a fire while it is small"...and not let things progress too far before addressing any dental issues.  That is why I am excited about the opportunity to get back to helping maintain the oral health of our patients.

We will be spending the early part of next week training our staff on the most current safety guidelines, updating our safety protocols and refreshing our already high standards for infection control.  We will then prioritize outstanding treatment appointments by urgency and slowly return to our "new normal."

Please understand that we will be doing everything we can to reschedule displaced appointments while preserving the high standard of safety in our offices.  If you have any questions about our procedures, you can visit our infection control page for a summary of our current safety procedures HERE. 

Feel free to send the office team a voice or text message if you need to reach us...and we will get back to you as soon as we are able!

I look forward to seeing you all again soon, I've missed you dearly!

​Don McAdams, DDS

If you are anything like me, you are probably shocked at how fast our lives have changed due to the Coronavirus infection taking over our country.  Sitting in my kitchen writing this post, I keep thinking about how much I miss seeing all of my patients and helping keep them smiling comfortably.  I have been remiss to close for vacations and holidays in the past knowing that some of you might need me while I am away.

It is with a heavy heart that I announce McAdams Dental has closed for normal operations.  As of March 19, 2020, we will be closed through the end of April.  At this time we are planning on getting back to normal as of May 1, 2020.  During this time, we are available on a limited basis to help with true emergencies.  If you really need us, call the office at (480) 991-4727 to get the emergency contact number.  We are also working to contact any patient with an appointment scheduled this month to confirm and discuss how to reschedule.

We have every intention of staying informed of the latest recommendations and maintain our already high standards for cleanliness and sterilization in our practice.  You can be assured that when we return, our office will follow all of the most current recommendations to keep our patients and our team members healthy!  

Until then I will be staying in, studying up and dreaming about the day I get to see all of your smiling faces again.  Please respect the gravity of this situation and do your best to stay safe.  We can all compare notes about how we spent our isolation time when we meet again.  I will be curious about how many of you watch the Tiger King on Netflix...and I hope you are able to find adequate supplies of paper products!

Sincerely,

Don McAdams, DDS

If you are interested, here is a summary of how we got here:

On March 16, 2020 - the American Dental Association recommended that dentists postpone any elective treatment for a 3 week period.   This decision was meant to limit the spread of Covid-19 to dental professionals.  At this time, there were just under 3,500 confirmed cases in the United States.

https://www.ada.org/about/press-releases/2020-archives/ada-calls-upon-dentists-to-postpone-elective-procedures​

On March 18, 2020 - the American Dental Association published guidelines related to what types of treatment should be considered elective vs. emergency and advised dentists to only treat emergency issues for the 3 week period.  This was intended to help keep otherwise healthy patients away from hospitals while the emergency care was focused on Covid-19 response.  At this time, there were just over 7,000 confirmed cases in the United States.

https://www.ada.org/publications/ada-news/2020/march/ada-develops-guidance-on-dental-emergency-nonemergency-care

On March 19, 2020 - McAdams Dental began seeing only essential treatment and all elective procedures were postponed pending further guidance.  At this time there were over 15,000 confirmed cases in the United States.

On March 21, 2020 - the State of Arizona issued executive order 2020-10 which mandated stopping all non-elective dental treatment indefinitely with a promise to reevaluate the decision every 2 weeks.  This order was intended to preserve supply of masks and gloves for front line health care workers due to a nationwide shortage.  At this time, there were over 24,500 confirmed cases in the United States.

https://azgovernor.gov/executive-orders

On April 1, 2020 - the State of Arizona issued executive order 2020-18 instructing all Arizona residents to “stay in place” to limit the spread of the virus in our state.  At this time, there were over 186,000 cases in the United States

https://azgovernor.gov/executive-orders