5 Ways Your Dentist Keeps Their Practice Clean in COVID-19

Did you know that dental practices have always been some of the cleanest places in the country? Dentists adhere to strict sanitation protocols to keep their offices exceptionally clean at all times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, even more precautions are being taken to keep their patients and staff safe and healthy. Here are five dental safety and infection control protocols your Burlington dentist is using to safeguard your wellbeing if you need to come in for dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

1.) Excellent Hand Hygiene

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that regular handwashing is one of the best ways to stop the spread of infectious illnesses like colds, the flu, and COVID-19. Excellent hand hygiene is especially important in a dentist’s line of work since their hands routinely come in close proximity with their patients’ mouths. To prevent the spread of infectious particles, they diligently wash their hands before putting on clean gloves, before and after treating each patient, and directly after removing their gloves.

2.) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Like with many other illnesses, a person can become sick with the coronavirus if infected respiratory droplets come in contact with their mouth, nose, or eyes. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is specifically designed to both protect these vulnerable areas on the wearer as well as prevent them from spreading any germs themselves. Dentists always wear PPE like gloves, masks, eyewear, and coats while providing dental treatment. Once these items are used, they are disposed of or disinfected right away.

3.) Cough Etiquette & Respiratory Health

Several steps are taken to remind patients and staff to practice proper cough etiquette and respiratory health while in the office. Some of these measures include infection controls like easily seen and accessible facial tissues, hand sanitizer, and no-touch trash receptacles. During the coronavirus quarantine, you may also notice more signs, posters, or pamphlets instructing readers to cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.

4.) Sterilized Dental Instruments

To prevent any chance of reinfection, many dental instruments are single-use and thrown away after coming in contact with a patient. To clean non-disposable devices, dental staff have been trained to use heat, pressure, and other advanced sanitation procedures to eliminate any lingering particles.

 5.) Thoroughly & Regularly Cleaned Office

While dental practices have always followed rigorous cleaning procedures, it’s more important than ever that the environment is as safe and germ-free as possible. Hospital-grade disinfectants are used on all the countertops, doorknobs, switches, sinks, and dental lights between every appointment, as well as all the objects in the reception area. Some equipment like the dental chairs and computer keyboards will have a protective covering that is changed out between each patient as well.

If you need to visit your dentist for urgent care during the COVID-19 pandemic, you can rest assured that your dentist is taking even more precautions than normal to keep both you and your smile healthy.

About the Author

To Dr. Derek Song and his dental team, nothing is more important than your health and safety. As they plan to reopen on May 18^th, 2020, they have put in place a variety of extra dental safety and infection control protocols to safeguard your wellbeing when you come in for treatment. As always, they remain dedicated to providing the best, most comfortable dental treatments in a safe and germ-free environment. If you have any questions about how they are working to keep their dental practice healthy, feel free to contact them via their website or at (781) 272-5890.