Concerned about contracting an infectious disease from your dental visits?  Rest assured that your dentist and staff are required to follow standards of infection control.

Infection control procedures are precautions taken in healthcare settings to prevent the spread of disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), working with the ADA, has developed special recommendations for use in dental offices.

Before you enter the examining room, all surfaces, such as the dental chair, dental light, drawer handles and countertops have been cleaned and decontaminated. Some offices may cover this equipment with protective covers, which are replaced after each patient.

Non-disposable items like the dental tools or handpieces are cleaned and sterilized between patients. You may not be aware that sterilization and other infection control precautions take place before your dental visit because many of these procedures occur in another area of the dental office. Disposable items like needles or gauze are placed in special bags or containers.

Infection control precautions also require all dental staff involved in patient care to use appropriate protective wear such as gloves, masks, and eyewear. After each patient, disposable wear like the gloves and masks are discarded. Before seeing the next patient, the treatment team washes their hands and put on a new pair of gloves.

Talk to your dentist if you have further questions about their infection control procedures.  Your health and safety is of utmost importance.

Thank you for reading. I encourage you to leave comments or questions below. To learn more about my practice, click on the link www.elitesacramentodentist.com

Your friendly dentist,
Dr. Sarah Po
July 8, 2010

Source:  http://www.ada.org/3106.aspx?currentTab=1