COVID-19 Office Protocols

• • Patient Safety: All patients are prescreened prior to their appointments with the Covid-19 screening online form located on our website at https://www.drnancystewart.com/patient-forms-covid-19-screening-forms/. However, masks are no longer required in the waiting room. This is no longer required according to both the CDC and the ADA.
    
  • All public areas are cleaned and disinfected frequently, including door handles, chairs, counters, and bathrooms. Magazines and other reading materials have been removed from patient areas.
  • After seating, patients will rinse with a 1.5 percent hydrogen peroxide solution before any treatment. COVID-19 is vulnerable to oxidation; this will reduce the salivary load of oral microbes. There will be use of oral HVE to decrease any possible exposure to infectious agents. You remember that bulky bite block with suction we place in your mouth while doing dentistry? We have been using HVE (High Vacuum Evacuation) in our office for years.
  • Our Infection Control is at the highest level and we are vigorously following all ADA, CDC and OSHA Covid-19 protocols. Dental instruments are autoclaved or disinfected after every use.  EPA approved Covid-19 disinfectants are used to clean all operatories after each patient visit.
  • Staff Safety: Our Dental team is subject to daily health screenings. This includes taking their temperatures to make sure they don’t have a fever and asking them a series of health-related questions each day to make sure they’re not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Sneeze guards have been placed at check-out to protect our office staff. Clinical staff PPE includes N95 respirators, surgical masks, face shields, gloves and long sleeved lab coats.
  • Our office has high efficiency H13 TRUE HEPA air filtration units in every operatory and located throughout the office. These medical-grade filters are tested to remove 99.9% of particles down to 0.1 microns, catch pollen, dust mites, and other tiny airborne particles you can’t see.
  •  UV-C lights have been placed in all our HVAC units. UV-C light is a short-wavelength, ultraviolet light that kills germs by inactivating a microorganism’s DNA. Ultraviolet energy inactivates viral, bacterial, and fungal organisms so they are unable to replicate and potentially cause disease.
  • Media Air Filters have also been placed in our HVAC systems. The filter is placed in the return air duct of the forced air system. As air passes through the HVAC system, the media air cleaner traps airborne particles within the filter media before they reach the indoor atmosphere. This allows for more and better filtration of the air actually entering the office.