Sterilization Protocol
At Greenwood Dental Smiles, your overall health is just as important to us as your oral health. Whether you’re here for a check-up or more intensive treatment, we respect your right to be treated in an environment where dental sterilization is a top priority.
Since we opened the doors of our practice, we committed ourselves and our team to going above and beyond the standards outlined by the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That commitment still holds true today.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to reassure you of the steps we take every day – after every patient exam and procedure – to properly disinfect and sanitize our rooms, surfaces, tools, and equipment. We were doing this long before the pandemic, but this is a good opportunity to show you our methods.
Beyond Washing Hands
When any of our dentists, hygienists, and assistants treat a patient, it’s done with personal protective equipment (PPE). This includes face shields, a face mask or guard, and disposable gloves.
After each patient examination and treatment, the gloves are taken off, hands are washed with a medical-grade disinfectant hand soap, and a fresh pair of gloves is put on. Using a fresh pair of gloves is essential, as studies show that using them in a dentist office reduces the chances of hand contamination by nearly 80 percent!
Each of those steps (old gloves come off, hands are washed, new gloves are put on) is repeated each time a team member touches an object.
Further, if any team member is showing even the slightest symptoms of not feeling well, they are strongly urged to stay home. The same goes for you. If you’re not feeling well on the day of your appointment, just call us and we’ll gladly reschedule. Even the slightest risk of exposing others is a risk we’re not willing to take.
The Importance of Clean Surfaces
Even though a virus can survive on an exposed surface for as long as a few hours, it doesn’t get its chance to do so in our office. That’s because we rigorously disinfect all exposed surfaces in our office numerous times each day.
Every surface area – including countertops, trays, office doorknobs, examination light handles, etc. – is meticulously cleaned with a chemical disinfectant that’s designed to eliminate viruses. Further, we perform a thorough office cleaning at the end of each day and a deep cleaning at the end of each week.
Tools And Equipment
A thorough sterilization of our dental tools and equipment is done between each patient examination here at Greenwood Dental Smiles. We do this with a dental autoclave (which utilizes high-powered steam) and chemical-based sterilizers. Any one-time-use tools remain in their sealed packaging until needed. They’re then promptly disposed of after being used. Further, we routinely test all our other equipment to ensure we’re providing a safe environment for your dental health.
A Commitment to Diligent Sterilization
We continue to monitor the updates regarding COVID-19, and will adjust our approach based on guidelines and recommendations from the ADA and CDC. If the situation changes and we are unable to see patients, we’ll contact you to make other arrangements so that your oral health is not left untreated.
At Greenwood Dental Smiles, we follow the strictest of standards for dental sterilization to ensure the safety of you and our team members.
