Keeping Safe and Clean Offices
Our commitment to our patients and staff is to provide the safest and cleanest possible environment. A regular process of dental sterilization, cleaning, and sanitation is followed by our dental team and staff. Your safety and health is our primary concern!
We have developed systems and procedures that follow the guidance of the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). We use state-of-the-art practices and controls to maintain optimal dental office sterilization and to clean dental instruments.
Our staff is also extensively trained to follow the procedures recommended by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We incorporate their recommendations into our regular dental office sterilization routines.
What steps do we take to provide for your safety?
Using the latest dental autoclaves, machines, and dental sterilization equipment, we make sure that everything and every surface in our exam and procedure rooms are germ and disease-free. This kind of equipment is highly effective in killing viruses, germs, and bacteria by applying pressure, steam, and heat.
We also clean and disinfect surfaces between each client, and make sure that everyone is safe by:
- Providing gloves and face masks
- Using disposable materials and equipment whenever possible
- Having hot water and disinfectant hand soap available in all exam rooms
- Cleaning and sterilizing between each use of all non-disposable equipment
- Sanitizing and cleaning countertops and surfaces with EPA approved disinfectants
You’ll see us constantly cleaning, our staff utilizing best practices to make sure that your visit with us is healthy and safe! We keep abreast of emerging techniques and technologies, reviewing our policies and procedures frequently so that our staff uses best industry practices when cleaning and disinfecting equipment and instruments.
What kinds of disposable items do you use?
Most, if not all, of the items we use in routine dental examinations, are disposable. This includes things like impression trays and syringe tips, as well as face masks, gowns, face shields, gloves, gowns, and service items like floss, brushes, and gauze. Once used, these items are removed and properly discarded.
A key part of our staff training is to make sure that all team members know and understand best practices when it comes to the handling, use, and disposal of items like these.
What steps do we take to clean reusable items?
We follow a rigorous disinfection and cleaning procedure between each use for equipment and instruments that can’t be discarded. Based on a four-step process, we make sure that all instruments, equipment, and surfaces are cleaned, disinfected, and sterilized between each and every appointment.
- Cleaning is the first step, during which we use ultrasonic cleaners to remove all bacteria, debris, and germs from reusable instruments.
- Packaging happens next, where we wrap equipment and instruments in special packaging and seal them for sterilization.
- During the sterilization process, we use dental autoclave sterilizers to clean and disinfect packaged instruments in keeping with FDA guidelines.
- Finally, we disinfect all remaining surfaces and countertops using EPA-approved surface disinfectants and cleaners.
Once we finish the process, the packaged and sterilized instruments are safely stored and ready for their next use.
Our staff undergoes regular training to make sure that they incorporate best practices to keep our offices safe and clean.
What if I have more questions?
Give us a call! We’re happy to give further information and provide detailed descriptions of our cleaning procedures and protocols. Our commitment to both patients and staff is to provide the safest possible environment so that the only thing you have to consider is how great your smile will be after your exam or procedure.
We are looking forward to your next visit!