Summer 2022 Newsletter
June 2022
Hello Everyone,
Wow, it’s June! Well that went by quick. I have been meaning to send out an update for the past few months and every time I sit down and warm up my newsletter writing muscles/brain cells- something else takes precedent and the office update/communication takes a backseat. For those of you who are or were small business owners, or who have known one- I’m sure you can relate.
The last 9 months have been incredible and exhausting and I have had the privilege of meeting most of you, if not, I look forward to the opportunity to meet in in the future. I’m so appreciative of all of you who make what we do worthwhile, you are why we show up everyday and continue to strive be our best. Your understanding and kindness during this transition while we have navigated through various challenges, changes and updates has been humbling and appreciated. You may have noticed some of these exciting changes including a digitization of our processes, expansion of dental procedures performed inhouse, improvement to sterilization centre to name a few. All the learning over the last 9 months have helped strengthen the practice, our vision, and we can’t wait to share what is to come.
Every morning as I ride my bike to work, I reflect on how fortunate I am to be living and working in this kind and beautiful city pursuing my dream. Below are a few of the most important things happening in the next few months that we wanted to fill you in on.
Retirement of Dr. Gaucher and Susan
The biggest bit of news is that Dr. Gaucher and Susan are retiring at the end of June. To be able to carry the torch from an amazing legacy of patient focused, compassionate, and high quality dental care is truly an honour. Dr. Gaucher has owned the practice for over 30 years and has created a truly amazing legacy, that all of us at HappyTree Dental are thrilled to be a part of.
Susan has been with the practice for over 13 years. Being the first face you see as you visit the practice, taking care of accounts, and being a truly integral part of the team here are just a few of the things we appreciate her for.
All of us here truly wish them all the best in their future endeavors. And while we may be parting professionally, we look forward to showing them what we’ve done with the practice they’ve helped build in the years to come.
Letter from Dr. Gaucher
My dear patients,
It has been an absolute pleasure caring for you, knowing you and hearing your stories over our many years together. You are what put the joy in dentistry for me.
Almost a year has passed since Dr. Linton assumed ownership of the practice and branded it HappyTree Dental. I have appreciated the support you have given both of us through this transition. I’ve shed tears saying goodbye to those I have seen during this time and have been touched by your kind words.
They always say one knows when it is truly time to end a chapter and for me that time has come. I’m not sure what lies ahead (aside from a road trip with my husband and our dog to Lake of the Woods), but I look forward to the next adventure.
Again, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being such dedicated patients. I leave you now in Dr. Linton’s capable hands and wish you many years of continued dental health. Keep smiling.
Warmly,
Christine
New Faces
Zach has joined us as our new office manager. He comes with a lot of experience in business administration and loves being able to work in healthcare again. If you haven’t met him yet, you will find him at the front desk, potentially with his occasional office visitor, Philippe, his two-year-old French Bulldog.
Lauren has joined us as a full time part of our administration team. She has lots of experience working as dental assistant in other offices, but truly loves the patient focused role she’s joined us in.
Natalie has joined us as a part time hygienist. She joins us on Thursdays and brings a lot of experience and passion to her role here at HappyTree. She is passionate about reducing barriers to oral health and providing a stress-free dental experience.
We are so excited about these additions to our team and hope they’ll soon become a standard part of your experience when you visit us.
Search for An Additional Hygienist
It is an unprecedented time in most industries, including the dental industry from a staffing shortage perspective. As we’ve lost some of our hygiene team, wait times have increased exponentially. We appreciate you bearing with us as we search for a replacement who is the right fit for our team and that can provide you with the level of care we would want for our friends and family. We hope to find someone soon to join us in bringing the excellent level of oral care you are used to receiving.
Summer Closure
Part of our practice vision is to support work/life balance. The office will be closed for the last 2 weeks of July to give the team a chance to recharge and to allow for some necessary upgrades in the clinic. There will be emergency coverage over this time but please call us if you would like to be seen before then. We will be open until Thursday, July 14 at 4pm and will reopen Tuesday, August 2nd at 8am.
Music
At HappyTree, we all enjoy music and enjoy an eclectic mix of music daily. If you are in an operatory and the music is too loud or an 80s power ballad isn’t your favourite and is negatively affecting your experience, please let us know. We aim to provide a comfortable and positive experience for you and are always open to new suggestions for music.
Cancellation Policy/Confirmation of Appointments:
We understand that emergencies happen and in the age of covid, viruses don’t care what your schedule is. We request that you please provide us with 48 business hour’s notice to change or cancel your appointment. This allows us to accommodate other patients who are hoping to be seen.
Cancellations/no shows within 48 hours will be subject to a cancellation fee.
We also require confirmation/covid form fill out before your appointment. If you do not confirm we will have to reschedule your appointment. This is to ensure everyone’s health and safely to the best of our abilities.
Payment/Fee Policy
We wanted to clarify our payment policy for all of our patients. Our clinic practices balance billing and we price according to BCDA fee guidelines. Balance billing means that patients are responsible to pay the balance of the treatment fee for the uninsured amount. In order to ensure you understand your personal cost for your visit, please ask us or call your insurance to confirm your coverage. Insurance policies vary greatly in coverage and we are only able to provide you with an estimate of their coverage.
Treatment payment is required in full after each visit, unless written financial arrangements are made in advance of your treatment. For major treatment (crowns, bridges, implants etc.) we require a 50% deposit at your first appointment for this treatment. If you have any questions regarding our payment policy, please contact our office manager Zach.
Masks in the Clinic
With the recent announcement from B.C. Ministry of Health regarding wearing masks in shared spaces we wanted to share our policy at Happy Tree Dental to avoid any confusion or concern from our patients. As we are a health care setting, we want to ensure our patients feel safe and cared for during their visits with us therefore will continue to require masks within the office. If you arrive without a face covering, we would be more than happy to provide one for you during your visit. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy, please feel free to reach out to us and we would be more than happy to speak with you.
Parking/Construction Update
We continue to adapt to the curve balls Chard Developments construction throws at us and the impact to our patient parking. For time being, there is free patient parking on Johnson Street with a complimentary shuttle service (complete with a friendly chauffeur-per the building reports) that brings you to the office. Remember to enter you license plate in the building (beside the elevator) once you arrive. Once construction completes, there will be patient parking under the adjacent building.
I wish you all a healthy, enjoyable, and sun-filled summer!
All our best,
Hilary and the HappyTree team