Arbutus Dental Clinic is dedicated to excellence in all aspects of patient care.
Established in '98 and located in the seaside town of Qualicum Beach, Arbutus Dental Clinic's team includes a dentist, five administrative staff, four dental assistants and seven dental hygienists. Serving the Oceanside communities of Parksville, Qualicum, Bowser, Deep Bay and more.
Read more about Dr. La Couvée, Dr. Gooch and Our Team
We are committed to acknowledging and respecting our patients' individual wants and needs, to providing our patients with the knowledge to make informed decisions regarding their dental treatment, to providing the highest quality of dentistry and service, by our commitment to personal and professional growth, through lifelong learning.
To our valued Arbutus Dental patients
We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health.
We are excited to let you know that we have reopened are office June 1st! This has certainly been an unprecedented and challenging time for everyone, and we greatly appreciate your support, patience and continuing understanding throughout this Covid-19 Pandemic closure period.
While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same - our commitment to your dental health and safety.
Infection control has always been a top priority for us at Arbutus Dental as you may have noticed during your visits to our office. Your health and well-being continue to be our highest priority. Our office will continue to follow the recommendations made by the BCCDC (BC Center of Disease Control) and the CDSBC (Canadian Dental Surgeons of BC) as well as following the work safe BC guidelines.
We have carefully prepared and have updated our practice procedures and policies for us to safely open our doors to our team and our patients. We have also trained our dental team to do all that we can to minimize the risk of COVID19 exposure for everyone. Please be assured that we will be taking care of you just as well as we will be taking care of our own families.
Rebooking Missed Appointments and Instructions for Future Appointments
We are starting to reschedule patients who had appointments cancelled or missed due to the office closure. We will be required to open in a limited capacity and with various added safety measures in place. We will likely need to schedule patients with the most urgent care needs first; we very much appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this transitional time.
If you have pre-existing health conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes, chronic lung disease, extreme asthma, serious heart conditions, kidney disease, or are immunocompromised we may need to reschedule your appointment at this time unless you have an urgent problem. Please call us if you fall into this category.
If you already had an appointment booked within the coming weeks, it most likely will be changed in time, and or hygienist, to allow for social distancing between patients. This will also result in fewer options when rescheduling your appointment.
Please do not come in for your appointment unless you receive a confirmation from us first, and have had a pre-screening for COVID-19 over the phone.
***All previously booked appointments prior to our office closure are subject to change***
Keeping Our Patients and Team Members Safe
As it has always been, infection control will continue to be our guiding principle. Over the past several weeks, we have been carefully planning and evaluating our operating protocols in order to ensure we’re doing everything we can to protect our patients and team members. To achieve this, we have implemented new policies and purchased new equipment to meet or exceed the guidelines set out by the BC Ministry of Health Restart Plan and the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia. In the dental profession we have always followed strict hygiene and sterilization practices as a matter of everyday universal precaution. Our team is ready and prepared to implement these additional measures for your safety.
Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you will be offered fewer options when scheduling your appointment, and it may not be with your usual hygienist.
Please Monitor your health for COVID-19. We urge you to visit the following website: bc.thrive.health and review the self-assessment tool.
**Please contact us if you are unwell so we can reschedule your appointment as soon as possible.**
Upon Your Arrival at the Office
- Please wait outside the office until your scheduled appointment time.
- The office greeter will come get you when we are ready to welcome you into the practice and do your screening. We will have ABHS (alcohol-based hand sanitizer) that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. Please bring a face mask.
- Your screening will be reviewed BEFORE entering the office.
- We will be taking your temperature.
- ONLY scheduled patients will be allowed entry into the office. * **Parents and other family members will be asked to wait outside whenever possible.
Note that our waiting room has been modified to reflect physical distancing measures. If you enter and there is someone immediately in front of you, please exit and wait briefly outside until the entry is clear.
* A barrier window has been installed at the front reception
* Signage is present to remind clients to not enter if they are ill or have been exposed to someone who is ill, or they have travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days.
* Many other signs are resent regarding handwashing and social distancing
We are proceeding with an abundance of caution, but we want you to feel as confident as we do that any visit you make to our office will be a safe one.
Your Treatment
- Our team will continue to STRICTLY follow guidelines set forth by BCCDC, public health, and our dental governing bodies for all our infection control protocols.
- The dental team has all needed personal protective equipment (PPE).
- You will be asked to rinse with a 1% hydrogen peroxide solution prior to treatment.
- During patient care, appropriate masks, gloves, eye protection or face shields will be worn by all team members and changed between patients when needed.
- All surfaces that came in contact with the patient will be wiped thoroughly with disinfectant, including the patient chair and the accessory chair where the patient placed their personal items and/or coat hanger
Checking Out After Your Appointment
- A statement of receipt will be emailed to you directly, with upcoming appointments listed.
- You will be assisted out of the practice via the side door at the back of our office.
- please be patient with our front reception team as they will meet you back outside at the front of the office once all your treatment has been received from the operatory to which you were seen.
Thank you so much for your patience as we roll out these important new measures. We know that your oral health is an integral part of your overall health. During these times staying healthy is on everyone’s mind and, by working together, we can ensure that you and your family achieve and maintain optimal oral health.
We look forward to welcoming you back!
Dr. LaCouvee, Dr. Gooch and The Arbutus Dental Team
COVID-19 Relevant Links
WorkSafeBC BC CDC Healthlink BC College of Dental Surgeons Office of the Provincial Health Officer