Infection Control
Infection controls and universal precautions protect clients and staff alike. Everyone benefits from rigorous infection control — you, your dentist, and the dental team. The cornerstone in a good and safe dental practice is the element of trust. You should feel free to discuss this topic with Dr. Pechous.
Dr. Pechous and our entire team follow procedures recommended by several federal agencies: the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These measures include:
- Disinfectant hand soap
- Gloves and face masks
- Chemical disinfection of countertops and surfaces
- Sterilization of all equipment before every use
- Disposable materials
Dental Sterilization
We use a three step process to clean and sterilize all our instruments. First we manually wipe all our instruments to clear obvious debris. The instrument are put back into their cassettes and are put into an ultrasonic bath that removes any remaining debis. Then they are wrapped and sterilized in one of our two autoclaves. We sterilize all reusable equipment, including dental hand pieces. We use an autoclave, a device that kills bacteria and viruses by steam, heat and pressure. In addition we have our autoclaves regularly monitored by an outside lab to ensure our machines are working properly.
The best defense against disease is information. The more you know, the better equipped you are to make wise decisions about your health care. The more you know about our daily procedures and policies, the more comfortable you will feel.
