COVID-19: Our Response
There has been much heightened awareness recently surrounding the COVID-19 virus. Your well-being and that of our staff are important to us and will always remain our highest priority. We know when you chose to have treatment with us, you are putting your trust in our hands. And that is a responsibility we take very seriously. From the moment you walk into our office, we are committed to providing you with a safe environment.
Even before this current outbreak of COVID-19, we have always implemented “Universal Precautions”. Our protocol is followed always, for every patient, every time. Rest assured we will not and have never compromised on our commitment to the highest standards in infection control.
Dental practices are one of the safest places you can visit because infection control is the foundation we build on:
Infection control measures in place in our dental practice:
- All exam room surfaces are cleaned and decontaminated after each patient visit with the highest quality and broadest spectrum germicidal agents.
- Exam room surfaces with frequent contacts (instrument trays, x-ray sensors, etc.) are covered with protective covers that are replaced after each patient visit.
- Non-disposable items such as dental tools are cleaned and sterilized on premise after each patient visit. Sterilized instruments in their sealed packaging are opened in front of patients.
- Sterilization machines are checked each week, by means of a mail in test strip, to verify they are properly sterilizing our dental equipment.
- Our staff are required to dress in appropriate protective wear (gloves, masks, protective eyewear, scrubs or protective gowns) while working in treatment rooms.
Additional precautions we’ve taken and more choices for you:
- Our dental office is equipped with a Surgically Clean Air purification device. Each Surgically Clean Air system is equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, Activated Carbon filters along with UV & Titanium Dioxide sterilization. The combination of Surgically Clean Air’s filtration and purification effectively captures 99.9% of particulate and aerosols.
- Waiting room, reception area, all door handles and common areas are cleaned with disinfectant products several times each day.
- Patients are encouraged to fill out all registration forms via secure internet website to minimize waiting time in the office.
- Patients with upcoming appointments who have cold like symptoms or who have traveled to at-risk countries in the last 14 days are asked to reschedule unless it is an emergency.
- Patients have the option of waiting in their cars until their treatment room is available. Kindly inform us if you prefer this option and we will call you when we are ready for you.
We are closely monitoring alerts and updates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and adopting their recommendations into our practice. Your well-being is our highest priority and we want to make your visit as comfortable and as safe as possible. You can also visit www.CDC.gov to find out more about how you can protect yourself and your family.
Dr. Jack A. Sturm and Staff