Our Dental Health & Safety Protocols

1. Miele Dental Instrument Washer/Disinfector: All instruments are washed to remove visible surface contaminants in a state-of-the-art washer/disinfector before being placed in the Autoclave.

2. Autoclave (pressurized steam): All dental instruments and handpieces (drills) are sterilized in a high-pressure steam autoclave after each use. This process is the standard of care. Our computerized autoclave warns us in the event of an incomplete sterilization cycle, and we have protocols in place to correct such issues immediately. As an added precaution, we also use an external biological indicator test to ensure that our autoclave functions appropriately and produces sterile instruments.

3. Surface Decontamination: All surfaces including countertops, dental chairs, stools, light handles, and control buttons are disinfected with chemical solutions before and after every patient. These solutions are not only formulated to eliminate infectious bacteria and viruses that could otherwise proliferate on these surfaces, but the chemicals themselves pose no health threat to our patients.

3. Disposable Items: Many of the items we use today are discarded after a single-use. These items include saliva ejectors, high-speed suction tips, drinking cups, rubber cleaning cups, patient bibs, tray covers, sterilization bags, mixing pads, mixing tips, anesthetic carpules and needle tips, among others. Gloves and masks are also discarded after each use.