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Dear Patients,

We hope this letter ﬁnds you and your family in good health. Thank you for your patience during this temporary closure of Gateway Dental Group. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward gradually welcoming patients back into the oﬃce starting Monday, May 11th. While many things have changed, (including some remodeling as previously promised) one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your health and safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice, as you may have already noticed. We will continue to follow the highest level of sterilization and surface disinfection and are following the new guidelines set forth from the Iowa Dental Board and CDC on personal protective equipment.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staﬀ. For example:

Our oﬃce will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions prior to scheduling an appointment. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the oﬃce.
We’ll ask that you wait in your car until you’re ready to be seen, then we’ll text or call you when it’s time to come up for your
Please have any companions you bring along, wait in your vehicle or outside the building during your
The Iowa Dental Board is requiring everyone entering the oﬃce wear a face mask or face covering. Additionally, we will be taking your temperature and ask that you use hand sanitizer when you enter the oﬃce.
Maintaining appropriate social distancing between patients is our We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area.
If you have changes to your mailing address, phone number, email address or have a new insurance card, that you email or text us that information prior to your

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we’ve taken to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. For those patients whose appointments we had to cancel due to our closure, a member of our staﬀ we will be reaching out to you to reschedule your appointment. You do not need to call us unless you have a question or dental emergency.

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

Sincerely,

Drs. Burds & McCaulley and the entire Gateway Dental Group Team

Month: April 2014

Multiple Choice Test on Sleep Apnea

Posted April 27, 2014 by Dr. Burds

You may be wondering what sleep apnea has to do with dentistry. Dr. Stephen J. Burds offers this multiple choice test to help you learn its importance. 1.) Sleep apnea is: A.) A chronic disorder that affects your sleep B.) Talking in your sleep C.) Tossing and turning in your sleep

Implanting Knowledge about Replacing Lost Teeth

Posted April 17, 2014 by Dr. Burds

How broadly, sincerely, and comfortably would you smile if you were missing teeth? Whether you are lacking a single visible tooth, a few, or all of your teeth, there’s no doubt that a smile in this state is less comfortable to flash. Even if you have replacements such as partial or full dentures, you are… Read more »

The Symbiosis of Oral and Overall Health

Posted April 10, 2014 by Dr. Burds

Science has continued to study and embrace the idea of oral-systemic health. This is the concept that periodontal disease and tooth decay are potentially related to the quality of your overall health. You have surely heard of gum disease even if you’re not one of the 80% of adult Americans who has gingivitis (early gum… Read more »

Fixing Gaps in your Smile

Posted April 4, 2014 by Dr. Burds

Diastema is the clinical term for a space between two or more teeth. Often, diastemas occur between the top two front teeth. There are public figures well-known for smiling proudly in spite of gaps in their smiles. Lauren Hutton, Madonna, Eddie Murphy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sir Elton John have enjoyed flourishing careers without opting for… Read more »