Infection & Air Management – Shelton, CT
How We Use Technology To Keep You Safe
In recent times, priorities among dentists have shifted, and now it’s more important than ever to maintain a safe, sterile environment where you can have your smile cleaned without worrying about who else as been to our practice. As such, we’re taking advantage of modern technology in order to reduce the risk of infections being spread through the air during treatments. On this page, you can learn more about these advanced instruments and how Dr. Graber uses them to protect you from illness.
JADE Air® Surgical Air Filters
You may not have realized that even during routine dental procedures, aerosols consisting of harmful microorganisms, saliva, blood, and debris can become airborne, meaning another patient might inadvertently inhale them later. The state-of-the-art JADE® Air surgical air filters can quietly remove these contaminants from the environment; you may not even realize it’s there, but it will be constantly working to clean and purify the air in our practice, letting you and the rest of our patients breathe easy.
High-Volume Suction Machines
To minimize the amount of aerosol that is released into our practice, dental suction machines are used to remove potentially harmful contaminants. We’ve specifically chosen medical grade machines with high-volume suction (meaning they are able to pull in aerosols that are further away). Also, the devices are fitted with a HEPA filter that is able to remove the vast majority of small particles.
Medical-Grade UV-C Light
Hospitals have been using special UV-C lights to fight viruses for years now. These devices emit a 254-nm germicidal wavelength that is highly lethal for all manner of bacteria and viruses. At our practice, we mainly use these lights for disinfection purposes between visits, which also helps get rid of airborne hazards before they have a chance to spread to other patients.
(ERV) Energy Recovery Ventilation System
A healthy dental climate relies on high-quality heating, air conditioning, and ventilation. So it's essential to make sure the air inside our practice is always fresh for the next patient. That is why we have fitted our air conditioning system with an energy recovery ventilator (ERV). The ERV system brings fresh air from outside to keep potentially contaminated air consistently recycled back out of our office. This process helps remove viruses and other contaminants, meaning there's very little chance that these harmful substances will ever have an opportunity to enter our practice.
Air Scrubber & UV-C Sterilization
Air Scrubber technology takes advantage of the same UV light that we use for sterilization in order to purify the air that enters our practice. While the device has yet to be tested against COVID-19, it has been shown to be an effective way to dramatically reduce bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens in general. And unlike normal air filters, Air Scrubber is not passive; it actively treats the air for pollutants and other dangerous contaminants.
Isolite® System
It never pays to take chances when it comes to the potential spread of aerosols in dentistry. It’s imperative that contaminants are sucked away before they even have a chance to spread, and that is where Isolite® comes in. This device isolates the area where we’re working while continuously sucking away contaminants and debris, making it much easier for us to complete the procedure as safely as possible. This system can be used to eliminate over 90 percent of dental aerosols.
Our Commitment To Your Safety
We recognize times have changed. Priorities have shifted. Today, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our staff and patients.
With this in mind, we are happy to share the 10 additional steps we are taking to make every visit to our office as safe as possible. These actions are incremental to our normal standards of care that meet or exceed all CDC, OSHA and ADA guidelines for dental practices.
Our goal is to add peace-of-mind to the friendliness and clinical excellence you have come to expect. Of course, this is part of an on-going commitment that will evolve with the times. As always, we welcome the opportunity to answer any of your questions and to address all concerns.
We are in this together, and we will never underestimate the power of a smile!
Daily Health Checks of Our Team
No contact temperature checks and a quick set of questions will ensure our team is ready, willing and able to provide safe dental care – every day.
Change Work Clothes at Work
In the past, you might have seen us at the grocery store in our stylish scrubs. No longer. Now, we change into and out of our newly-cleaned scrubs at the office, every day.
Anti-Microbial Rinse
In addition to brushing and flossing before your visit, we will provide an Oracare solution to rinse in your mouth for 60 seconds and reduce bacteria.
Virtual Waiting Room
Now, you can check-in from your car. As a result, you are able to minimize contact with others, bypass the reception area, and go directly to your treatment room.
Sequenced Patient Scheduling
Plain and simple, we are not seeing as many patients. We are allocating more time between visits for coming, going and cleaning.
Pre-Screening of Every Patient
A quick health questionnaire and consent form along with a no-touch temperature check will be completed when you arrive at our office.
Cleaning After Every Appointment
We are super clean as we thoroughly wipe, sanitize, and disinfect all instruments, equipment and surfaces in each operatory after every patient.
Deep Cleaning Every Evening
Along with cleaning and sanitizing during the day, we take things to another level at night with a thorough top-to-bottom scrub down.
Advanced Chairside Suction
Whenever possible, we will activate high speed evacuation to minimize aerosol contamination and improve air quality.
HEPA Air Filtration
Our air has never been cleaner. We have added HEPA-grade filters to our HVAC system along with stand-alone air cleaners in each operatory.