Update 5/19/2020
Dear Patients of Katsis Orthodontics,
 
On May 8th at approximately 6 PM the Illinois Department of Public Health lifted it’s restriction on emergency-only dental treatment.  The past week we have been implementing the State’s new recommendations and training our staff to maximize safety and manage routine orthodontic care in this new era. Many of you have been contacted to schedule an appointment or have already been seen for an adjustment this past week.  If you have yet to be contacted please call us at 630-894-5557 or email us at FrontDesk@KatsisOrtho.com to schedule an appointment. In order to abide by social distancing guidelines we have altered our schedule to reduce the number of simultaneous patients we will see at one time. We have made other necessary changes to our appointment progression and policies to maximize safety of our patients and our staff. When you make an appointment we will be sending a detailed e-mail outlining our new policies.
 
In order to accommodate patients in highest need of care we have contacted patients who are overdue or in need of adjustments. We will resume initial consultations and treatment starts at the end of May or in early June.
 
As stated in last week’s email we will complete our monthly billing on Tuesday May 18th for those patients that are utilizing auto-drafting for their financial arrangements. If your financial situation has been negatively impacted by recent events please contact us so that we can work together to create a more suitable financial arrangement.
 
We look forward to seeing you all again soon!
 
Sincerely,
 
John Katsis III D.D.S., M.S.
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                                                           Guidelines for Managing Orthodontic Treatment during the outbreak of Coronavirus  

For all patients –

• Should you have any questions or concerns about the status of your treatment, please contact our office.  We have staff members checking voicemails and ways to reach Dr. John directly are available on our voicemail message.  Virtual consultations or check-ups are available if needed!
• Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer prior to placing your fingers in your mouth to insert or remove rubber bands, aligners, and retainers.
• Although our temporary closure is inconvenient and stressful for our patients and staff, if you or your child continue to maintain your braces, maintain excellent oral hygiene, and follow our treatment recommendations this closure should not have a significant effect on your treatment length or outcome.
• Should you run out of rubber bands or need palliative (comfort) treatment items such as wax or brace relief gel please contact the office.  We have set aside these items in our common areas for our patients.  No appointment is necessary to pick-up these items but please let us know if you do so we can ensure these items are stocked.
• If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms or have recently travelled to a highly infected area please observe all statutes and recommendations for self-quarantine to reduce mitigation of the virus.

Braces Patients –

• Continue wearing your rubber bands as prescribed by Dr. John.  Please utilize excellent hand hygiene when placing and removing rubber bands.  If you are unsure of how or how often to be wearing the rubber bands please contact our office by phone or via e-mail for assistance
• Please avoid foods that may damage your braces or wires and avoid behaviors (such as chewing on pens, contact sports without a mouthguard, etc.) that may damage your braces or wires as we are currently limited on our ability to completely repair broken braces in both extent and time. 
• If a bracket loosens or a wire begins to poke please utilize wax to relieve and comfort the area.  If your braces or wires are broken AND they are causing pain please contact the office so we can make you comfortable.  We may not be able to completely repair the braces at this time but we will do everything possible to make your comfortable.

Aligner (Invisalign™) Patients –

• Continue wearing your aligners as prescribed.  Please utilize excellent hand hygiene when placing and removing rubber bands.
• If you run out of aligners please contact the office so we can arrange for more aligners to be mailed or picked up. 
• If you are on your last aligner, please wear the aligner for the duration as directed (typically one week for 20 hours per day).  After this time-period has elapsed you are welcome to wear the last aligner part-time (~12 hours per day) to maintain your correction.
• Should one or more of your attachments break wear your current aligner for twice the length of time and contact the office to arrange a virtual consultation to   discuss how to proceed with Dr. John.

 
Palatal Expander Patients –

• Turn or activate the palatal expander as directed.  Once you have completed the amount of turns indicated please stop turning.
• Expanders are routinely left in for 6-9 months. If your child was due to have his/her expander removed during our temporary closure it will not have any negative effects on treatment
• Please avoid hard and sticky foods.  Should the expander loosen please contact our office for guidance.

Retainer Patients

• Wear your retainers as instructed by Dr. John.  Please contact the office should you have any questions or concerns.
• Please utilize excellent hand hygiene when inserting and removing your retainers.
• Please minimize or avoid hard and sticky foods especially if you have a bonded (permanent) retainer to reduce the chance it breaks or loosens.