Safety Protocols

A Letter from Dr. Nehra:

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health during this difficult time. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.  And, COVID-19 has only deepened our resolve.

Please know that our office is likely one of the most thoroughly cleaned and disinfected environments you can possibly be in.

We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Thank you for being our patient,

Sanjiv Nehra, D.M.D.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice, and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. The thorough and rigorous cleaning, sterilization, and disinfection of all instruments and surfaces are routine and second nature to us, as they are throughout dentistry; precautions that make dental offices highly uncommon sources of disease transmission. Our office adheres to stringent procedures maintained by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We want to tell you about the basic infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

• All our instruments after each use are carefully cleaned and sterilized in a designated area of our practice using hospital grade equipment. We use ultrasonic baths for cleaning, and autoclaves (a high temperature and pressure steam oven) to kill every organism, including COVID-19. We also use tests and indicators to monitor these processes to ensure they are functioning optimally.
• We wipe down each dental operatory after each patient visit with a hospital-grade surface disinfectant that kills all known infectious diseases, including coronavirus.
• We have the office wiped and cleaned daily by staff and once a week by a licensed professional company.
• We have changed our air filtration to a HEPA filter which captures bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus.
• We have changed the venting in the office to allow for better air circulation, to never allow for “stagnant air.”
• We will be having the entire office professionally disinfected with medical grade sterilization cleaning equipment by a professional company.
• Removal of carpet has taken place, where aerosol may lay, to prevent any areas of germs to fester.

For those of you who don’t know, we had a flood in the office, which unfortunately, resulted in extensive damage.  As untimely as this situation was, it allowed us to perform “behind the scenes” upgrades to further create a healthier, safer environment to better protect you and the staff.