Fredericksburg Parent

42 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • Stories of Strength Special Issue Finding the Joy Amidst COVID-19 The pandemic has hit our nation hard, and the Fredericksburg Orthodontics family felt its effects along with the rest of our wonder- ful Fredericksburg community. As an orthodontic practice, our team works to transform our patients' smiles and maintain proper orthodontic health, which means we are often working in close proximity to our patients' faces, noses and mouths. Because of this, the moment the virus reached our community, we took immediate action to ensure the health and safety of our patients and orthodon- tic team. We were incredibly sad to close our doors in March, just before our practice celebrated fifteen years of service to the Fredericksburg community. All of us at Fredericksburg Orthodontics find so much joy in helping our patients transform their smiles, and the thought of not seeing them for a while was crushing. Still, we remained dedicated to ensuring the safety of our team, our patients and their families, and we watched the news closely for the latest updates to keep informed while we began preparing for the months ahead. Even amidst shutdowns, we found a way to serve our community and keep our patients' smiles bright. Thanks to the incredible work of our team, we were able to transition to Virtual Smile Assessments through our website, allow- ing patients new and old to receive professional care right from the comfort of their own homes. Using instructions on our website and YouTube channel, new patients take a few guided pictures of their teeth and mouth, then send them off to our orthodontic team to receive a professional, virtual consulta- Fredericksburg Orthodontics How This Local Orthodontic Practice is Giving Back to the Fredericksburg Community Sponsored Material tion about their smile goals and treatment options. These Virtual Smile Assessments have been a total hit, and they remain an ongoing, integral part of our COVID-19 response. Even after we reopened our doors, our patients have loved having a virtual alternative to an in-person consultation! In such a difficult and trying time, we wanted to give back to our community, even from afar. On social media, we asked our patients, families and community to #SpreadTheJoy and #FindTheJoy amidst the pandemic, highlighting the positives that came from this tough situation such as enjoying time with family or spending more time outdoors. Our own team members joined in on the fun, sharing pictures of family, pets and outdoor adventures. We also provided our Fredericksburg Orthodontics family with fun activities like the "My 2020 COVID-19 Time Capsule" printable pages to give our patients' families something new and entertaining to do, even during the lockdown. Our practice was thrilled to reopen on May 1st. After the time spent away from our patients and their families, we were eager to see their smiling faces again! With the help of our wonderful team and stellar community, we suc- cessfully implemented a series of precautionary measures with safety as our number one priority, including curbside appointments to limit the amount of patients and family members in the waiting room, usage of face masks and other protective equipment and the continued use of vir- tual smile assessments for new patient consultations. Now, as we turn the page into the new year, our team hopes to return to normalcy. We remain ever vigilant of new information regarding the virus and preventative mea- sures we can take as a practice to keep our patients safe and healthy. Mostly, we're thrilled to have patients back in the office and continue being a part of their individual journeys to a bright, beautiful smile. The pandemic has hit our nation hard, and the Fredericksburg they remain an ongoing, integral part of our COVID-19 response. Even after we reopened our doors, our patients have loved having a virtual alternative to an in-person consultation! In such a difficult and trying time, we wanted to give back to our community, even from afar. On social media, we asked our patients, families and community to #SpreadTheJoy and #FindTheJoy amidst the pandemic, highlighting the positives that came from this tough situation such as enjoying time with family or spending more time outdoors. Our own team members joined in on the fun, sharing pictures of family, pets and outdoor adventures. We also provided our

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