We Do What It Takes to Help You Relax

We Treat You Like You're Sick To Keep You Healthy

Our practice uses "universal precautions". That means we follow the current recommendations of the  American Dental Association(ADA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Occupational Safety Hazard Administration (OSHA). Our dentists and staff members take numerous steps to ensure that our office environment is clean and safe. This may sound like a lot of trouble, and it is. But, we're committed to following specific, methodical steps to ensure your peace of mind and complete safety at all times.

Although that doesn't mean we're going to quarantine you in a sealed room, it does mean that we always wear masks, gloves, and glasses; steam sterilize all instruments and hand-pieces after each use; prepare difficult to disinfect surfaces by dressing them in disposable plastic sheaths; use disposable single-use items when possible; disinfect each treatment room after every patient; and keep all the MSDS's on file of all the chemicals we use at the office. As if that's not enough, we have a practice seminar annually to keep everyone updated on the latest findings and techniques of disease prevention.

Beating the Bugs on Equipment

Our sterilization sequence is pretty impressive. After each procedure, we take the tray of used instruments to the "dirty side" of our sterilization area. There, we throw away all disposable items, place reusable instruments in an ultrasonic solution to 'shake off' large bits of debris, and carefully place all sharp disposable objects into a special 'sharps' container-- including scalpels, and anesthetic carpules. There's no old-fashioned and dangerous manual scrubbing, and thus no accidental finger sticks and cuts.

Next, we place the handpieces or drills in the "Assistina" apparatus. This amazing device dislodges and eliminates all debris from within the handpieces: driving first air, lubricant, then air, through the handpiece.

Finally, we rinse all the instruments and handpieces, place them in sterilization pouches, and steam sterilize them in our autoclave. We test our autoclaves weekly to ensure that they're actually killing all the bacteria they're designed to kill: we use a special 'spore' that's tested at Baylor College of Dentistry.

Only after completing this entire sterilization cycle do we take our instruments over to the clean side of the room, organizing them together with unopened disposable items on our procedural setup trays.

Beating the Bugs in the Water

20/20's story on dental water lines safety made lots of people anxious. But at our office, you can rest assured that we do everything humanly possible to prevent bacterial growth in our water lines. First, we have complete control over the water that runs through our system. We use only distilled water, not city water, in our self-contained modern dental units.  These water lines are purged at the end of each day to prevent bacterial growth, and regularly to assure continuos cleanliness. Finally, we test each unit's water line regularly.

Comfort: Making Your Visit a Walk in the Park

It's perfectly normal to be a little anxious about visiting the dentist's office. We've been treating patients long enough to understand those concerns. In fact, we strive to make your treatment not only comfortable, but even enjoyable! If you're like our other patients, you'll find something on the list below that helps you relax during whatever procedure you need to undergo.

Headphones: If music is your ticket to relaxation, use our headphones and any of our selection of CD's. You can even bring your own familiar tunes, too!

Blankets and Afghans: Lots of people appreciate the comfy feel of a soft blanket during their procedure, so we've accumulated a whole pile of special soft ones handmade by loving moms and mother-in-laws.

Nitrous Oxide Sedation: If you just need a little help 'lightening up', we have 'laughing gas' or nitrous oxide available at any time. This provides a gentle, quick, and safe means of getting rid of the jitters. Plus, it wears off right away after use, allowing you to drive yourself home without concern.

Pre-Medication: If you don't think the nitrous oxide will do the trick, we can prescribe a medication for you to take the night before and the morning of your appointment. This approach has the advantage of ensuring a good night's rest, and a relaxed attitude prior and during your visit. Just be aware that you'll have to arrange someone to drive you to and from your appointment.

Intravenous Sedation (IV): Some people would rather not even be aware that their undergoing any procedure at all. In such cases, we are equipped and experienced in IV Sedation: we bring in an anesthesiologist to set you up with an IV medication designed to put you in a 'twilight' state. Afterwards, you probably won't even remember being at our office. Although this method of relaxation requires more planning and is more costly, it can be very helpful to some people.

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