Sterilization and Dentistry

Before you say "Ahhh" in the dentist's chair, do you ever wonder about those instruments that are about to be placed in your mouth? Body fluids such and spittle and blood can carry disease and infectious material. Because of the risk of infection, sterilization is a primary concern in a dental office.

The most obvious way to protect against the spread of disease or infection is to sterilize the equipment and personnel that come in contact with the patient. This is done through rigorous internal standards for every person in the office to disinfect their hands between each patient and follow strict guidelines of personal hygiene. Of course, disposable gloves are worn by all personnel when examining a patient and changed between each patient. Often, if personnel leave the room to check a x-ray, and so forth, the gloves are replaced during a single session. Masks are always warn to protect against airborne contaminants.

There are also material objects that come into contact with a patient. Many are disposable and discarded immediately. If an item is not disposable, such as a piece of dental equipment, a barrier is created. Barriers are physical coverings that prevent the patient from coming into contact with any portion of the equipment. You will notice thick plastic coverings over most of the equipment in the examination rooms. These are replaced daily to ensure no possibility of contamination. Any equipment that actually touches the patient has a plastic sheath that is replaced between every patient.

Behind the scenes, many of the products used in the office go through an independent sterilization procedure in the packaging. Once at the office, they have their own barriers and protections to ensure continued purity. This is true of the most advanced dental supplies all the way down to the toothbrush you receive at the end of your visit.

The examination chairs are also important in creating and maintaining a sterile environment. Each chair is equipped with its own water purification system. Every sip of water you take passes through an extensive filtration system to create the distilled sterilized water you use to rinse and spit with. This allows us to avoid having to depend on municipal waters sources that are neither distilled nor sterile. An additional water purification system called Clearline, sterilizes the water that is used in sprayers, mouth rinsers, or any other piece of dental equipment that uses water during an examination.