Winterville Dental
Infection Control Precautions
Dear Valued Patient:
Your safety is the highest priority for our dentists and team members. We take great care to stay up to date on infection control and safety guidelines and continually update our treatment protocols to maintain maximum safety levels in our practice.
Our office strictly follows the infection control guidelines set by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Our Winterville Dental infection control standards include:
- Autoclave sterilization of instruments used in patient care. An autoclave uses steam heat under pressure to destroy bacteria, microorganisms, spores and virus contaminants to prevent cross-contamination. Our autoclave equipment is regularly tested and monitored by a third party to verify proper function.
- Disposable single-use products are used to cover equipment and are changed after each use. Patient care items such as cotton rolls, gauze and suction/rinse tips are also disposable and are discarded after use.
- Our team attends frequent training in infection control protocols and proper use of disinfectant products and equipment.
- Treatment area contact surfaces are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between patients.
- Proper handwashing techniques have been in the news for some time now; you can rest assured that our Winterville dental team has practiced effective handwashing procedures and appropriate use of PPE (personnel protective equipment, e.g., gloves, masks, jackets) since the first day we opened our doors.
Preventing the spread of COVID-19 and Flu in Our Community:
We always want to do our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19, flu, and other contagious illnesses in our community. We closely adhere to the current recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Dental Association® and Georgia Department of Public Health regarding patient safety in the dental office.
Following are just a few preventive measures that we want to make you aware of:
- If you are sick or have been in close contact with someone that is ill, please call us to reschedule your appointment.
- If you would like to wear a mask while you are in our office, we will be happy to provide one for you.
- We have plenty of hand sanitizer and tissues available throughout the office for patient use.
- In addition to maintaining strict infection control practices in our clinical area, we also routinely sanitize our administrative spaces and restrooms.
- We ask that adult patients come to the office alone for their appointments. We will be happy to make arrangements for special caregivers, just let us know when you schedule your appointment.
- If we are seeing your child, we ask that only one parent enters the office; please have siblings without appointments stay at home.
- We have launched our contact-free payment process; we now have the ability to take care of your payment for your appointment when you schedule or when you arrive.
We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice.
Thank you for your support. We sincerely appreciate your trust in our team!
Sincerely,
Dr. Phillip Durden, Dr. Brandon Whitworth, Dr. Chase Wootton, Dr. Rob Hardell & Team Winterville Dental