As a dental practice, infection control is always a top priority for our office. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, most patients probably didn’t spend much time thinking about how we sanitize our chairs, waiting room, and dental tools, but it’s something that we have always done to keep our patients and our staff safe. Of course, now, these practices are more important than ever and naturally our patients are more interested in learning about the safety protocols we use.
What follows is a list of some of the many precautions we are currently taking to protect your health in light of the COVID-19 crisis.
Our Standard Infection Control Protocols
These are the measures we have always taken in order to limit the spread of bacterial and viral infections in our office.
- All dental instruments are only handled by staff who are wearing gloves.
- Each instrument is sterilized with dental ozone water after being used.
- Dental ozone water is used in our dental water lines to destroy viruses and bacteria.
- All dental room surfaces are cleaned with CDC-approved disinfectants and ozone, one of the most effective means of destroying viruses and bacteria on surfaces.
- Our dental team wears masks during all procedures.
New Safety Measures Taken for COVID-19
As soon as we realized that COVID-19 was on the road to becoming a pandemic, we began researching and investing in advanced methods of infection control. We’re proud to be on the cutting-edge when it comes to the safety of our patients and we plan on continuing with many of these measures even after the current pandemic subsides.
- We have purchased a new, revolutionary air purifier in our office that kills viruses in the air and on surfaces.
- Each night after our team has left for the day an ozone generator is used to clean the office. The ozone generator makes oxygen, 03, into the office to destroy bacteria, viruses and fungi. Air quality will be monitored for safety.
- We ask that upon arriving at our building, patients stay in their cars rather than waiting in the reception area in order to practice social distancing.
- When you enter our office, your temperature will be taken and you will be asked to wash your hands.
- A UV cleaner called Phonesoap is used to disinfect your phone.
- Prior to your procedure, you will be given an ozone water rinse, which destroys bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms in your mouth, reducing the risk of contamination for our team.
- Plexiglass barriers have been installed at the front desk area.
- We are transitioning to electronic forms updates, documents, and consent forms to limit the amount of paperwork exchanged.
We want you to always feel safe when you walk through our doors and we never want any of our patients to forgo needed treatment or suffer in pain because they’re scared to come to our office. We’re confident that with these safeguards in place, we can protect your health and the health of our staff members.
Schedule an Appointment
If you’d like to make an appointment with Dr. Coats at TMJ Plus Wellness Center, contact us today at 817-481-6888.