To view as a PDF, please click here: COVID Update July 23 2021.pdf

COVID-19 Update July 23, 2021

• We don’t want anyone to get sick with COVID-19 of any variant. Period. As healthcare professionals, our dental team is still taking all COVID precautions very seriously and will continue to do so. We have an ethical and moral responsibility to keep ALL of our patients as safe as possible! Just as Sanford Health recently announced, we too are requiring all members of our dental team to be vaccinated.

• The risk of getting sick is increasing again because the Delta-Variant is more transmissible. Where someone with the original COVID-19 variant infected an average of 2.5 people (there are those half people again), someone with the Delta-Variant infects 3.5 to 4.0 people. The infection rate over time increases exponentially. In the timeframe where 1 original case would result in 24.24 additional cases, 1 case of the Delta-Variant results in 66 additional cases.

• The Delta-Variant is now responsible for more than 80% of the infections in the US.

• Over the past two months in the US, 99% of the deaths and 97% of the hospitalizations from COVID-19 were of unvaccinated people. This is no longer about breathing the wonderful scent of summer; this is about preventing suffering.

• Vaccines are safe.

• Vaccines are effective against the variant. Can vaccinated people still get sick? Yes, but evidence so far shows that most people who have “breakthrough” infections after immunization have less severe symptoms or potentially life-long debilitating health problems. Also, you have a significantly better chance of NOT DYING!

• Vaccination is free. Everywhere to everyone. It is available in Mitchell at most pharmacies, or you can find vaccination sites via SD Department of Health, vaccines.gov, texting your ZIP code to GETVAX (438829), or calling 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you.

• Want to protect yourself and others more? Continue to wear a mask. They’re still required in some situations, particularly anywhere health care is provided. This includes our dental clinic as we want to do everything possible to ensure we are providing patients with the safest environment.

***All of the purple text above contains links to various resources.***

Why are there so many links? We understand that you need to make your own decisions and want you to have access to the same information we are using: scientific, reliable, accurate, and timely.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

June 1st, 2020 

To Our Valued Patients, We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe. Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We chose to remain closed until now, to allow for extra time to make the many necessary changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You will likely notice these 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. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.

•We have a sign posted outside the office, asking all patients to remain in your car and call us upon arrival at (605) 996-9235, for further instruction before entering the office. We ask all patients please do this so we can maintain appropriate social distancing and have as few patients in our reception room as possible, and explain our new intake protocol with you over the phone. Thank you in advance for your consideration regarding this matter.

•We have hand sanitizer just inside the front door that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some outside of the restroom and other places throughout the office for you to use as needed.

•You will see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

•You will see that our reception room now has only a few chairs to ensure all patients are maintaining social distance.

•Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.

•We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

•We have also removed all items other than a few essentials from all countertops throughout the office. •We have physical barriers between patients and staff members in the reception room.

•We have installed several new types of dispensers within our operatories to ensure proper infection control protocol. •We have installed air purification systems in all operatories and the reception room.

•Staff members will be wearing N95 masks and surgical caps.

These are just a few of the changes we’ve made that will be visible to our patients, but many more have been implemented as the safety of our patients and dental team are of the utmost importance to us. As such, we will continue to monitor the situation within our community and make changes as are necessary. This includes potentially closing again if recommended by government officials, or if we personally feel it is the best choice to ensure the safety of our patients, dental team and community. We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we have taken and will continue to take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice.

To make an appointment, please call our office at (605) 996-9235 or on our appointment request page. Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends. Sincerely, Dr. Timothy M. Drake and My Outstanding Dental Team

For the protection of all our patients and staff due the recent outbreak of coronavirus, we are requesting the following:

If you have an illness or are exhibiting symptoms, we ask you to please inform us when scheduling your dental appointment so we can make appropriate arrangements if need be. Some illness and symptoms include:

• A cold or the flu
• Cough or shortness of breath
• Fever or nausea
• Severe headaches, body or muscle aches
• Stomach pain, chest pain or difficulty breathing
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste or smell
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Active tuberculosis (TB)
• Mumps, measles, chickenpox
• Other contagious disease

*Please notify our staff before your appointment if you or someone you are in close contact with have recently traveled, or if you have been exposed to someone else who was diagnosed with COVID-19 or who was quarantined as a precaution. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us immediately. We hear the concern and uncertainty you may be feeling about coronavirus (COVID-19) and are working hard to provide all our patients with the emergency care and support they need during this time. We are drawing from our valuable experience in managing other infectious diseases. One of the most important things you can do right now is to stay informed from trusted resources. Our goal is to make sure you have the information you need to stay healthy and know what steps to take if you are worried you might have COVID-19. The links below provide additional information regarding the coronavirus: 

World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int 

Centers for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov 

South Dakota Department of Health: https://covid.sd.gov/ 

Call South Dakota's Information Line at: 1(800) 997-2880

What to do if you may have coronavirus:

• Please isolate yourself at home. 

      • Call your physician and ask for recommendations. 

      • Wash your hands often throughout the day. Use soap and water and scrub for at least 20 seconds. 

      • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands. 

      • Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Throw away used tissues and wash your hands. 

      • Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are touched frequently. Use regular household cleaning spray or wipe. Follow instructions on the package.

With your help, we can ensure that our employees stay safe and healthy so they can focus on what they do best, providing ethical quality dental care for our community.

Our team will continue to monitor the situation and provide updated information when warranted. We will remain open in the mornings to answer calls and for emergency procedures only. If you have a dental emergency after these hours, please call our office at (605) 996-9235 for the emergency phone number and leave us a detailed voice message on both phones, including your first and last name, date of birth, a brief description of your dental emergency and where we can reach you. Thank you for your patronage, and please stay safe. 

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Update May 11th, 2020 

Thank you for entrusting Dr. Timothy M. Drake Family Dentistry with your dental care. We understand the concern and uncertainty you may be feeling about coronavirus (also known as COVID-19). We are working hard to provide our patients with the emergency care and support they need during this time. Your health and safety are our top priorities, today and every day, just as is the wellbeing of our staff and the entire community. 

To ensure your health and safety, we are diligently watching the projections that South Dakota’s COVID- 19 cases won’t peak for several weeks to come, and thus are continuing to following the recommendations of the American Dental Association and the South Dakota Board of Dentistry and postponing all elective procedures in order to do our part to mitigate the spread. Concentrating on emergency dental care will allow us to care for our emergency patients, while also alleviating the burden that dental emergencies would place on our local hospital emergency departments. 

For the protection of all our patients and staff due the recent outbreak of coronavirus, we are requesting the following if you have a dental emergency and need immediate care: 

If you have an illness or are exhibiting symptoms, we ask you to please inform us when scheduling your dental appointment so we can make appropriate arrangements if need be. Some illness and symptoms include: 

• A cold or the flu 

• Cough or shortness of breath 

• Fever or nausea 

• Severe headaches, body or muscle aches 

• Stomach pain, chest pain or difficulty breathing 

• Sore throat 

• Loss of taste or smell 

• Vomiting or diarrhea 

• Active tuberculosis (TB) 

• Mumps, measles, chickenpox 

• Other contagious disease 

*Please notify our staff before your appointment if you or someone you are in close contact with have recently traveled, or if you have been exposed to someone else who was diagnosed with COVID-19 or who was quarantined as a precaution. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us immediately. We hear the concern and uncertainty you may be feeling about coronavirus (COVID-19) and are working hard to provide all our patients with the emergency care and support they need during this time. We are drawing from our valuable experience in managing other infectious diseases. One of the most important things you can do right now is to stay informed from trusted resources. Our goal is to make sure you have the information you need to stay healthy and know what steps to take if you are worried you might have COVID-19. The links below provide additional information regarding the coronavirus: 

World Health Organization (WHO):https://www.who.int 

Centers for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov 

South Dakota Department of Health: https://covid.sd.gov/ 

Call South Dakota's Information Line at: 1(800) 997-2880 

What to do if you may have coronavirus: 

• Please isolate yourself at home. 

• Call your physician and ask for recommendations. 

• Wash your hands often throughout the day. Use soap and water and scrub for at least 20 seconds. 

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands. 

• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Throw away used tissues and wash your hands. 

• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are touched frequently. Use regular household cleaning spray or wipe. Follow instructions on the package. 

With your help, we can ensure that our employees stay safe and healthy so they can focus on what they do best, providing ethical quality dental care for our community. 

Our team will continue to monitor the situation and provide updated information when warranted. We will remain open in the mornings to answer calls and for emergency procedures only. If you have a dental emergency after these hours, please call our office at (605) 996-9235 for the emergency phone number and leave us a detailed voice message on both phones, including your first and last name, date of birth, a brief description of your dental emergency and where we can reach you. Thank you for your patronage, and please stay safe. 

Thank you for entrusting Dr. Timothy M. Drake Family Dentistry with your dental care. Your health and safety are our top priorities, today and every day, just as is the wellbeing of our staff.  To ensure your health and the health of our staff, we are following the recommendations of the American Dental Association and the South Dakota Board of Dentistry, and postponing all elective procedures in order to do our part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Concentrating on emergency dental care will allow us to care for our emergency patients, while also alleviating the burden that dental emergencies would place on our local hospital emergency departments.

For the protection of all our patients and staff due the recent outbreak of coronavirus, we are requesting the following if you have a dental emergency and need immediate care:

• If you have an illness or are exhibiting symptoms, we ask you to please inform us when scheduling your dental appointment so we can make appropriate arrangements if need be. Some illness and symptoms include:
  • a cold or the flu
  • fever or nausea
  • severe headaches or body aches
  • muscle or stomach pain, chest pain or difficulty breathing
  • vomiting or diarrhea
  • active tuberculosis (TB)
  • mumps, measles, chickenpox
  • other contagious disease
• Please notify our staff before your appointment if you or someone you are in close contact with have recently traveled to one of the countries or states within the USA with large outbreaks of COVID-19 (ex. New York, Washington, California, Minnesota, Colorado, Texas, China, Italy, Iran, South Korea) or if you have been exposed to someone else who was diagnosed with COVID-19 or who was quarantined as a precaution.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us immediately. We hear the concern and uncertainty you may be feeling about coronavirus (COVID-19) and are working hard to provide all our patients with the emergency care and support they need during this time. We are drawing from our valuable experience in managing other infectious diseases. One of the most important things you can do right now is to stay informed from trusted resources. Our goal is to make sure you have the information you need to stay healthy and know what steps to take if you are worried you might have COVID-19. The below links provide additional information regarding the coronavirus:

• World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov

Our team will continue to monitor the situation and provide updated information when warranted. We will remain open in the mornings to answer calls and for emergency procedures only. If you have a dental emergency after these hours, please call our office for the emergency phone number and leave us a detailed voice message on both phones, including your first and last name, date of birth, a brief description of your dental emergency and where we can reach you.  Thank you for your patronage, and please stay safe.