Safe Dental Care

How We Protect Our Patients

As health care professionals in the field of family and cosmetic dentistry, protecting our patients' safety is our utmost priority. Dr. DiStefano and Dr. Nguyen take every precaution necessary to keep you safe and worry-free. We do this by:

• Wearing protective gloves, masks, and glasses - providing you with the proper 'barrier' protection
• Sterilizing all dental instruments in our autoclave (see below for more information)
• Disinfecting all Plastic Products via chemical means (see below for more information)
• Using disposable tips for instruments used in your mouth that eliminate the risk of contamination
• Flushing all water lines every day to eliminate any biofilm in the plumbing
• Disposing of needles and other sharp items in special sharps containers
• Cleaning and disinfecting all treatment areas
• Testing sterilizing equipment regularly for effectiveness
• CPR Certification by all of our staff members

In addition to these precautions, our dentists use state-of-the art equipment designed with infection control in mind, and strictly follow all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines to ensure your protection.

As new products and research provide us with better and safer ways to practice family and cosmetic dentistry, we want you to know that we are committed to using those products and techniques to continually improve the quality of care we provide.

If you should ever have a concern about any aspect of our safety standards, please don't hesitate to discuss those concerns with us directly. If you are located in the Lansing area, stop by our office and we can answer any questions you have or explain how we are able to provide your dental care as safely as possible in more detail.

What is an autoclave?

An autoclave is an automated machine that uses steam under pressure and high heat temperatures to inactivate fungi, bacteria, viruses, and spores. At Howell Dental we utilize two autoclave systems to provide you with the highest quality of sterilized instruments: the Midmark Ultraclave Steam Sterilizer and a Whaledent Statim.

Autoclaves are used in many health fields to ensure sterilization quality. Autoclaves were once far more common, however many practices are switching over to single use disposable items, such as forceps or scalpels.

Autoclave quality assurance

At Howell Dental we wrap our instruments with sterilization wrap and quality assurance tape. This tape is manufactured to darken in color once exposed to a certain temperature. We observe this tape on each and every instrument pack to determine our sterilization quality. We also use an autoclave test strip to maintain a monthly record of sterilization quality. This strip is sent out to be measured, then returned to us with data indicating our standard of sterilization.

Many plastic items cannot with stand the heat and pressure of an autoclave and must be cleaned in a different manner. These plastic items then undergo a process called disinfection. We use a Banicide chemical system to disinfect these items. Other items are too large to be placed in an autoclave or soaked in a Bancide solution. These items are disinfected using a Caviwipe disinfection process. These items include counter tops, operatory chairs, and operatory lights.

" The dental procedures we specialize in enhance our
patients' look and their quality of life! "

If you would like to learn more about our safety standards or how we can help you improve your dental health and appearance, please contact us today!