HOW WE PROTECT YOU AT EACH DENTAL VISIT 

All of our employees receive mandated hepatitis B vaccinations. 

They attend yearly OSHA Update workshop.  We cover OSHA issues at every training session.  Current infection control articles are placed on the communication board and are read and signed off by each staff member.

All dental instruments/handpieces are sterilized and disinfected before each use by: being sprayed with disinfectant; hand scrubbed with hot water and soap to remove surface material.

All dental instruments are placed in an enzymatic ultrasonic sterilization and than packaged in individualized sealed and dated bags, sterilized in our Statim and remain packaged for storage to protect them from environmental contamination after sterilization. Each bag has a heat indicator strip that changes color when the instruments are sterile.  They are not opened until we use them at chairside. You may ask for the dated taps used during your procedure.

All heat-tolerant items are sterilized at very high temperatures by steam under pressure in the statim/autoclave. Tests are run weekly to ensure the effectiveness of our sterilization procedures. Weekly spore testing is done. The desired outcome of biological testing is the killing of the spore challenge.

We sterilize all instruments.

Needles/scalpels blades are discarded after use in keeping with OSHA requirements. 

We wear gloves, surgical facemasks and protective eyewear as barrier techniques that are changed after each patient which are designed to prevent the spread of infection.  We change our clinical attire as appropriate.

We protect you with protective eyewear, mouthwash and disposable napkins.

All surfaces and equipment in the treatment room such as chairs, mirrors, counter tops, drawer handles, x-ray units heads, dental cart, and light handles are disinfected three times.  Once with a spray disinfectant, next with a very strong “one minute” wipe disinfect cloth and lastly we wipe these surfaces with  disinfectant towel.  

 All staff washes their hands with antimicrobial soap before putting on gloves, between patients, after removing gloves, needle stick or cut, and restroom or eating. We also use alcohol-based hand cleaner to cut down on bacteria transmission according to the new hand hygiene guidelines by the CDC.*

Gloves are changed between each patient and each time they leave the room.  

We use disposable items wherever possible such as air/water syringe tips, prophy angles, needles because they can not be sterilized appropriately.

Some equipment is covered with protective covers used for extra protection that are replaced after each patient.

All our blood and tissue waste is separated and bagged separately as required by law, and disposed of by Regional West Medical Center.

High-volume evacuation, proper patient positioning and rubber dams are used to limit contamination by splatter .

Each treatment room, sterilizing area and lab are thoroughly disinfected after each patient, at the end of the day and at the end of the week.

All materials used in cleaning are laundered according to OSHA standards .

Clean technique is used for obtaining supplies from closed drawers without contaminating everything inside the drawer.

Water/air lines are flushed at the beginning of each day for 2-4 minutes and after treatments each patient.  Disinfect solution is run through the lines.

Water quality and Biofilms-Scientific reports have not linked illness with water passing through dental water lines. Our office follows the infections control guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and the American Dental Association.  Biofilms are microscopic communities that consist primarily of naturally occurring water bacteria and fungi. Biofilms form thin layers on virtually all surface such as the thin tubes used to deliver water during treatment.  These common microbes or germs also accumulate inside objects like showerheads and faucets.  

 Equipment has routine maintenance checks.  Internal workshops are held to keep current of the latest procedures and products.  Our staff reads the latest monthly infection control articles posted on our communication board.

A rubber dam, which is a thin sheet of latex, is used whenever necessary to reduce the amount of bacterial spray-back which occurs when dental procedures are performed

A new vacuum system provides proper disposal of amalgam waste.

A new air compressor has been installed to comply with the OSHA and CDC regulations of 2004.

A solids separator is used in each area to ensure amalgam waste will not enter the city sewer system.

New upgraded ventilation system has been installed to improve air quality.

We have recently installed  a filter system to  improve the purity of the water supplying our dental equipment because we  consider your safety to be of prime concern.