Cleanliness and Safety

Clean Water Our dental water system is designed with special filters and certain disposable parts so that we are sure the water supply for each patient is free from disease causing agents. For rinsing during your treatment, we provide you with bottled water instead of water from the tap.

Sterilization of Dental Instruments Every patient receives a new compliment of sterilized instruments and disposables for each procedure. All needles and saliva ejectors are never reused and are discarded in special containers. Wherever disposable (single use) items can be used, they are. After being used, all instruments are cleaned thoroughly and then sterilized. The method of cleaning involves use of ultrasonic technology.

If you have any questions about our sterilization procedures or if you would like to see our sterilization center, please ask one of our staff.

Special Cleaning of Dental Handpieces After each use, we follow special procedures for cleaning our hand pieces (the dental drills). For the first step we flush the handpiece with water for 20 to 30 seconds. Then we scrub each handpiece with detergent and hot water.

Next we spray a cleaner/lubricant into the assembled handpiece before sterilization. We then use a special piece of equipment called an autoclave to sterilize the hand pieces. After the cleaning and rinsing stage, dental instruments are sterilized at very high temperatures. We use a special machine called an autoclave which sterilizes by using steam under pressure. After sterilization, the instruments are stored in sealed packages until they are used.

Cleaning and Disinfecting the Examining Room We clean and decontaminate all surfaces in the dental examining room before you enter. This includes the dental chair, dental light, drawer handles, electronic buttons, x-ray apron, and other surfaces. Some surfaces are wrapped in plastic which is then disgarded after each patient. For disinfecting these areas, we use an OSHA approved cleaner specifically designed for this purpose.

Barrier Techniques All members of our dental team wear protective articles designed to prevent airborne infections from being transmitted. During all dental examinations and procedures, our dental staff wear gloves. After contact with each patient, gloves are removed and disgarded. We wash our hands and then put on a new pair of gloves before treating another patient. Our staff wear surgical masks during procedures. Protective eye wear is given to each patient, as well as our dental staff to protect from spattering or splashing.