Keeping the Office Clean and Healthy for you!
As we all live in a new world of understanding of infectious disease, we wanted to take a minute to share with you how we keep our office clean and healthy for you and your entire family. Infection control and sterilization in the dental office is of great concern to all of us. At LAT Dentistry, we are committed to providing you with the safest dental appointment possible and ensuring your health, safety, and well-being.
1) Education! We stay on top of the most up to date materials to help keep you safe.
The team in our practice participates in thorough and in-depth continuing education (CE) for infection control on an on-going basis. Our office utilizes CE resources from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention (OSAP) for training, and we follow all OSHA regulations.
2) Instruments and protective equipment are thoroughly sterilized and inspected!
In treatment areas, we always wear gloves, masks, glasses, and lab coats. Gloves are changed frequently during a lengthy procedure and after each patient contact. We perform hand sanitization before and after removing each pair of gloves. We use some single-use items that are discarded after each patient. All other instruments and equipment that enter the mouth are sterilized in an autoclave, which we monitor for effectiveness weekly. These instruments are processed in sealed bags or cassettes, which we monitor by date. We will often remove these bags prior to your arrival so the Treatment Suite is ready when you arrive, however, we are happy to wait to remove all bags until after you arrive for your confidence. The chair, counters and cabinets are sprayed with an EPA-registered anti-microbial solution between each patient.
3) Water quality- an important area of cleanliness often overlooked in healthcare facilities.
We monitor our water quality regularly to ensure that the water entering your mouth is safe and clean since untreated and unmonitored dental waterlines can be a breeding ground for bacteria. We vacuum and mop regularly, and we wipe frequently touched items/place such as light switches, faucets, pens, toilets, and handles throughout each day.
4) Air quality- more important than ever!
We utilize an HVAC system that complete a minimum of 12 air changes per hour through HEPA filters to ensure indoor air quality. We also use high volume suction and isolation devices like a rubber dam when possible to reduce splatter/spray that could impact indoor air quality. Finally, we try to minimize patient to patient exposure by limiting patient flow in the office- we typically see 2 patients or less in the office at any one time.
5) Let’s prove it! We believe in transparency, so we invite you to tour our sterilization facilities to learn more and feel confident in your care!
We want to assure all of our patients that we are committed to providing the best quality dentistry for a reasonable fee while providing the best possible protection for our team and patients against diseases and illnesses. We invite you to take a tour of our sterilization room and instrument storage areas to help you feel comfortable and confident in your treatment at our office.