As you are aware, COVID-19 is primarily an airborne illness. The primary way to fight this disease is by having clean air; if you can control the air, you can control the disease transmission. Fortunately, we have the means to do just that.
Dental offices create aerosols which can potentially transmit COVID-19, so by their very nature, they can be a dangerous environment without proper protocols in place. However, with proper protocols meticulously enforced, dental offices can be very safe. Our track record since reopening proves that we can continue to provide dental care in an extremely safe environment.
Beyond the basics of hand-washing and mask-wearing, we have implemented the following safety protocols:
- Immediate wiping of all countertops, chairs, tubing, switches, etc. after the patient is dismissed. Make sure the wet surface is not wiped afterwards for at least 30 seconds to allow the disinfectant to be effective.
- Medify Air purifiers, which have medical grade true HEPA 13 filters, are located in every room in the office. The purifier cleans the air in the room every 7.5 minutes!
- We installed UV lights in our return air ducts. This is an added safety precaution above and beyond the many air purifiers. This ensures that all air passing through our HVAC system is free of viruses.