COVID-19

Hello to All our Wonderful Patients!

First of all, I hope everyone is healthy, safe and coping well with all these new circumstances.  A new normal for us all!

I would like to update you on the current status of our office and options for remote treatment, as we know it today.

The first mandate that was announced forced us to close the office for the health and safety of our patients and our staff until April 30th.  The most recent update now seems to indicate that we may be closed until June 1st, however, it is continuously being evaluated by the Florida Department of Health and CDC.  I will keep you apprised of any new guidance regarding our ability and timeline to reopen. 

Please feel free to contact Kim, Terri or myself through the office email if you have any problems or questions.  Although we cannot go into the office to see you, we hopefully can talk you through any issues.  Take pictures with your smartphone as needed.  We have also placed some additional information below that may be helpful to you.

To Our Patients in Brackets & Appliances:
All appliances, including expanders, will remain cemented until we are able to see you in the office to remove them.  If an appliance does become loose or comes off, hold on to the appliance and bring it with you to your next appointment.  If a bracket becomes loose and is still attached to the archwire with the colored O ring, please leave it on the archwire.  If the bracket comes off, do not worry and we will replace it when we see you for your next appointment.

If an archwire slides or becomes 'pokey',  Mom or Dad can use a small, clean wire clipper and make you comfortable.  If this is a small irritation, place wax on the end of the wire. 

We will place some wax in the foyer in small brown coin envelopes to be picked up if needed.  Please just take one envelope and leave some for other patients.  The office foyer is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.  We will also place some elastics by size and color in the foyer to be pick up as needed;  again, please only one bag per patient.

If you lose a removable retainer, we will need to see you for an impression once the office is back open, so please be careful with your retainer.

If you have a permanent retainer on the inside of your teeth - usually on the lower front teeth - and it becomes loose, do not pull on the wire to remove.  Leave in and wear your removable retainer over it to protect it.  If it does come off completely, place in your removable retainer and wear it full-time until we are able to replace your permanent retainer.  This is very important because your removable retainer will hold your teeth in the correct position.

If you have any concerns, please contact us and send a picture with your smartphone so that we can try to understand the issue.  

To Our Invisalign Patients:
We have also been contacting our Invisalign patients regarding  aligner distribution.  Every week, we are calling patients who have not been able to come in due to the closure.  We are setting the packaged aligners alphabetically in the foyer to be picked up Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm.  Please pick up these aligners if you have been called. 

We are trying not to set too many out at once, but there are many aligners that have not yet been picked up.  We will not be mailing any aligners out. Only 1 person in the foyer at a time please, and make sure to  wipe down and clean all the packages as you receive them.  If you haven't been called, it means that we have not yet gotten to the calendar for your next appointment, or we do not have any aligners for you. 

If there are no aligners for you, that means we will need to scan you for your next set when the office reopens.   If this is the case, please try to stretch out the aligner wear to 10-14 days.  In some circumstances we may be able to order replacement aligners.  You will need to email us to see if this is a possibility;  we will check your Invisalign treatment status and let you know. 

If you are on your last aligner and do not have a replacement, continue to wear this aligner until we are able to see you to scan and provide you with additional aligners.

If you have lost or broken an Invisalign retainer, email us and we will check to see if it is possible to order a replacement without a scan.  Continue to wear the last active aligner that you have, full time,  to hold your teeth in position.

Rescheduling:

Rescheduling  will be a daunting task but myself and my wonderful, fantastic and PATIENT staff will be contacting everyone once we have a clear idea as to when we can get back to a normal schedule.  We will strive to make sure we contact everyone in a timely manner, once we have a better idea when we are permitted to reopen.

Lastly, I hope you enjoy this extra time with your families!  Stay healthy, stay home, play games and do a puzzle or two!  Heaven knows we all have the time for it! 

On a personal note, I am granting myself a lifetime wish of piano lessons, it is amazing what you can find on YouTube.  Apparently, you need to practice quite a bit.  But now is the time to learn!

From all us to all of you, thank you so much for the trust you place in our office, we love what we do and can't wait to see you all soon!

Best Wishes,
Dr. Kundinger,
Kim, Terri, Monique, Sue, Daphney, Alma and Anna



Emergency Information

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office.  While we are not open, we are checking email & voicemail messages.  You can reach out via email at [email protected] or via phone at (239) 261-7091.

In addition, please take a few moments to check-out these useful blogs published by the American Association of Orthodontics:

Kundinger Orthodontics is Closed, What Does That Mean for My Treatment?

Handling Orthodontic Issues at Home

Here's How to Care for Your Smile Between Visits to Kundinger Orthodontics