Sterilization Protocol

When you visit our office, we want you to be safe, and we take many safeguards for both your health and wellness. We take a number of precautions to make sure that our staff and our patients are kept safe and protected.

We use many dental sterilization and sanitation methods so that our office environments are as safe as possible. Our cleanliness protocols use the most up-to-date practices. We sterilize the dental office and everything you will come into contact with during your visit. Our goal is always to make sure you are healthy and safe.

Sterilization and Cleanliness

Our team receives extensive training in the cleaning procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency. We integrate their best practices into our daily cleanliness routines.

We have a wide range of tools used to ensure the safety ad cleanliness of everything we use. We use steam sterilizers, dental sterilizers, and dental autoclaves for cleaning dental instruments. This equipment kills viruses and bacteria by applying heat, steam, and pressure for effective sterilization.

We ensure that the surfaces in our offices are clean by requiring face masks for everyone and gloves for our team members. We make sure that every sink in our offices has disinfectant and soap available for patients and team members.

When possible, we use materials that are used only once and are disposed of. We clean surfaces such as countertops with disinfectants that have been EPA approved for safety. We sterilize our equipment both before and after each use for double the safety protocol.

When you visit us, you will see our team members actively engaged in these practices. Every clinical team member will have on a mask and disposable gloves during exams and procedures. The exam room surfaces will be cleaned and sanitized before and after your visit.

Disposable Materials

Many of the items that we use in our Kingsport and Bluff City offices are disposable so that they are always clean and free from germs of any kind. We use disposable masks, face shields, gowns, and gloves as well as disposable gauze, toothbrushes, and dental floss. Every clinical team member has complete training in handling disposable items to be used properly, stored properly, and disposed of properly after one use.

Instrument Sterilization

Any dental instruments that aren’t disposable are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected in between uses. We use ultrasonic cleaners to sanitize them and remove all debris, germs, and bacteria completely. Once the instruments have been cleaned, they are packaged in compliance with FDA recommendations. They are sterilized using dental autoclaves that are FDA approved.

Our surfaces and machines are disinfected thoroughly after every use with cleaners approved by the EPA. Once the instruments have been cleaned, sterilized, and packaged properly, they are stored safely.

When it’s time for your dental exam or procedure, you can be sure that you will be safe at the Center for Family & Implant Dentistry. Contact us today to make an appointment.