Infection Control
The cornerstone of a good, safe dental practice is the element of trust. Dr. Dina 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
- Eyewear protection for our guests
- Chemical disinfection of countertops and surfaces
- Disposable materials, whenever possible
- Daily and weekly disinfection of dental unit waterlines
- Sterilization of all equipment before every use, including handpieces
Dr. Dina goes the extra mile when it comes to infection control. Not only will you find our office immaculately clean, but we have invested in the most state-of-the-art equipment for sterilization. Our in-office water system provides the distilled water we use in all our sterilization functions. Filters are replaced on a strict schedule and our tap, filtered, and distilled water purity are monitored with our TDS meter.
We utilize cassettes for nearly all of our instruments which virtually eliminates the possibility of an accidental injury, and maximizes our ability to clean them. All cassettes and loose instruments are initially placed in our Hydrim—an automated instrument washer-disinfector, which renders items 99% sterile.
We then place everything in our autoclave, which kills bacteria and viruses by steam, heat, and pressure. To ensure proper functioning of our autoclave, we use a dual-monitoring system:
- Each load is tested with a Class 5 chemical integrator, which provides an immediate pass/fail readout.
- Weekly spore testing is submitted to our off-site monitoring service.
The best defense against disease is knowledge. The more you know about our standards, the better equipped you are to make wise decisions about, and entrust us with, your health care. We hope our commitment to cleanliness is evident!