Your family dentist knows that wearing masks and gloves during dental procedures is crucial for infection control.
Infection control is important because due to the nature of the business, if infection control procedures are not in place, both patients and dental staff could be exposed to blood or bodily secretions. This, in turn, could promote the spread of disease.
Good family dentists do everything in their power to prevent the spread of disease. This involves adopting hygienic procedures that will stop potential infections in their tracks before they have the chance to spread. Fortunately, family dentists have quite a bit of guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has issued specific recommendations that will help family dentists in their quest to maintain clean and sterile work areas.
Wondering whether your family dentist practices proper infection control? Be aware of your surroundings while at the dentist’s office and observe whether or not precautions are being taken. For instance:
- Do those who come into contact with you clean their hands first before touching you?
- Does the dental staff wear proper garb, including gloves, masks, eyewear and gowns?
- Does the dental staff discard of gloves and masks after treating you? This should be the case, as fresh gloves and masks should be worn with each new patient.
- Do your surroundings appear to be clean and decontaminated? This would apply not only to the dental chair and instrument tray, but also to the countertops and dental light.
- How are nondisposable dental instruments cleaned and sterilized? Use of an autoclave (which uses steam under pressure) is the best way to go. Others may use chemicals or dry heat. Also, while it should be assumed, you may want to check with your family dentist to make sure dental instruments are sterilized before being used on other patients.
- Does your dentist’s office have a special procedure for disposing of biohazard materials such as needles and gauze?
You’ll be glad to know that most family dentists respect the need to implement best practices for infection control. This is because your well-being is a top priority for your family dentist and the dental staff. This includes your family dentist here in the Columbus and Reynoldsburg areas. We consider our infection control practices to be compliant with the latest best practices, which helps to make the services we render top-notch. After all, your family dentist’s office should never make you sick. Your optimal health is our top goal. Want to learn more about us? Check us out on Facebook.