At long last, Big Grins is getting back to a state of normal! Hugs and handshakes are back!  With over half our county population vaccinated, the CDC has relinquished the mask mandate for adults. Vaccinated adults need not wear them in our office. Unvaccinated adults are encouraged but not required to wear masks. Unvaccinated children will still wear masks in the office  (like school) while not in the treatment chairs, but they can play before and after (sometimes during) their appointments in the play area.  The games and dance floor got turned on today, and that made some kids super happy!  We will still be wiping down touched surfaces, but we are super happy too. And just in time for our very hot June, parents are welcome in the front lobby and play areas instead of their hot cars. Our coffee machine has been stocked! We will again talk to parents at the asides in the treatment room.

We did learn a few things from our Covid-19 precautions. One was that most kids do very well in an atmosphere where they are one-on-one with the assistants.  Your trust in us to teach directly to your child is appreciated by our team as well as your child!  Let’s keep that school atmosphere going,  and make these appointments valuable and instructive. The second thing was kids learn best with structured time. We have engineered our appointments to keep their minds stimulated, praised and moving along. The third thing was kids have different priorities than parents — our patients reminded us how important playtime, a fun atmosphere, and that toy selection are to their appointment!

A few things are still not normal in the office. We are experiencing a nitrous oxide mask shortage, not enough flexible plastic I guess.  Our gloves will be every color under the sun since we had to buy from so many vendors.  We are still going to use our closed-door rooms for aerosol-producing procedures for the time being.  But hey, those things are a small price to pay, and our kids will hardly notice.

The entire Big Grins staff, Rachel and I thank you sincerely for weathering the storm with us.  That was the craziest 15 months I have ever been through. As you come in, be sure to say hello to our new assistant Monica — she is a local young lady who used to work with Rachel.  Cheyenne will leave us shortly to pursue full-time school in prep for dental school!  Now, more than ever, we want to help you raise healthy, happy children. For any questions don’t hesitate to reach out to me on my cell 970 481 6728 or email greg@gobiggrins.com. Happy Summer!