How Lomita Torrance Dental is keeping you safe from Covid-19
New Patient Protocol
To keep everyone safe during this Pandemic. We have adopted new protocols to minimize chance of exposure to respiratory pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Patient
- All patients are pre-screened before their appointment (questionnaire)
- All patients are instructed to call office when they arrive in the parking lot.
- They are asked to wait in their car until we are ready for them. Every patient will have an assigned room.
- Check temperature, have them sign acknowledgment form, wash hands, give them a pair of gloves and have patient rinse with peroxide.
- They will immediately go into assigned room. (no one waits in waiting room)
- Visitors will be asked to wait outside.
Employees
- All employees should stay home if they feel sick.
- Each employee will have temperature checked when they arrive for work.
- All employees will be mandated to wear PPE, face shields/goggles, surgical masks, gloves, and gowns.
Office cleanliness
- Routinely clean and disinfect all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, and doorknobs.
- Restroom and other common areas will be cleaned every hour. Schedule will be posted.
- Avoid using other employees’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment, when possible. If necessary, clean and disinfect them before and after use.
Stay Safe and Healthy.
Video on Extra-Oral Suction System
What is an Extra-Oral Suction System
The practice of dentistry involves the use of rotary dental and surgical instruments (e.g., hand-pieces or ultrasonic scalers) and air-water syringes. These instruments create a visible spray that contains large particle droplets of water, saliva, blood, microorganisms, and other debris. This spatter travels only a short distance and settles out quickly, landing on the floor, nearby operatory surfaces, dental health care personnel (DHCP1), or the patient. The spray also might contain certain aerosols.
In this COVID-19 Pandemic I am looking to add confidence in the safety and protection of us all.
In the wake of the recent global pandemic, in addition to our ongoing strict guidelines with regards to CDC mandates and “universal precautions”, we are pleased to announce an additional layer of safety we have added to facilitate the care and protection of both our patients and our staff.
The Extra-Oral Dental Suction System provides additional high volume removal of droplets and aerosols associated with dental care. With an extensive medical- grade filtration system, along with a UV light disinfectant, viral and germ products will be eliminated.
From personal protection (safety eyewear/mask/gloves/fluid resistant wear) to complete sterilization of all instrumentation to infection control protocol in all operatories, laboratories, bathroom facilities, hallways, front office reception area complete throughout our waiting room we are there to provide dental care in a safe and comfortable environment.
We are confident the Extra-oral Dental Suction is a great addition to our safety protocol.
What is a Hepa 13 Air Purifier
An air purifier is a device which removes contaminates from the air in a room to improve air quality. These devices are beneficial to allergy sufferers and asthmatics, and at reducing or eliminating odors in the room. The part that removes these contaminates is the filter.
What is an Additional Intra-oral Suction System for?
When aerosols are created by high-speed handpieces, ultrasonic scalers, and other instruments, the “spray” not only carries particles of water but also bacteria, viruses, blood, and saliva. These aerosols can contain up to 100,000 bacteria per cubic foot of air. One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself, the patient, and your staff is to reduce airborne particles with continuous suction.
When the intra oral suction system is used in addition to the suction the dental assistant is operating, studies have shown is more effective in reducing the amount of airborne particles, helping decrease Dentists, Dental Assistants, patients and hygienists exposure to bacteria and airborne pathogens.
Over 90% of aerosols can be eliminated with proper suction – that’s where the high speed intra-oral suction comes in.
Surface Disinfection Protocol with Hypochlorous Acid
What is HOCl (Hypochlorous Acid)?
Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is a strong oxidant that exists as a natural endogenous constituent in humans and animals and is an important part of the innate immune system. HOCl is involved in the last step of the Oxidative Route in the fight against infection and invasion of foreign substances. HOCl is also a weak acid that is a potent disinfectant. Chlorine based disinfectants have been in use since the 1700’s and came into widespread use in the early 1900’s and are still widely used as dis-infectants and cleaning agents to the present day. In chlorine-based disinfectants, free chlorine exists in mainly two different forms, hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypochlorite ion (OCl−). HOCl is much more effective than OCl− as a disinfectant, and the pH of the solution affects the proportions of these two forms. Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is the most effective disinfectant in the chlorine family available in dilute solution. It is suggested that HOCl is 80 to 120 times more efficacious than sodium hypochlorite. It forms when chlorine is dissolved in water, however the HOCl is not stable in this state and will revert back within minutes to hours depending on the pH.
Another way to produce hypochlorous acid is to introduce electrolysis of a water (H2O) and salt (NaCl) mixture. This will allow the production of HOCl in an inexpensive and safe manner that is easy to produce and can be maintained stable for up to 48 hours and longer with simple and minor adjustments of the pH. This form of HOCl is sometimes termed electrolyzed water (EW) and is currently in use in many industries including the food industry, grocery stores for food sanitation, dairy processing facilities, hospitals and health care facilities as a highly effective disinfectant, the water treatment industry and many others. HOCl is an effective disinfectant that is currently on the EPA list as effective against the human coronavirus and considered safe in and on food, dairy and potable water.
We are routinely fogging all surfaces with this disinfectant
UV Light Disinfection
People encounter an enormous amount of various germs and bacteria every single day. They can be found literally everywhere – most of the surfaces and objects not only in public places but around our houses too are covered in germs. Phones, tablets, TV remote controls, keyboards, cutlery, books… We usually don‘t think that much about this since it‘s not something we can see – however, it doesn‘t mean they don‘t exist.
There are ways to get rid of those unwanted microbes though. One of the most popular methods – disinfectant sprays and wipes – doesn‘t ensure the full protection, not to mention that the chemicals they contain might cause skin irritations to say the least. And here‘s where ultraviolet light technology comes in handy.
They use high-frequency UV light rays to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, which means that once interlinking chemical bonds between molecules are broken, viruses get torn apart and destroyed instantly.
Schedule An Appointment With Lomita Torrance Dental Office, Torrance
We value your trust in us as part of your family’s total healthcare team and look forward to getting to know each of you as the wonderfully unique individual that you are. Each one of us loves what we do and we believe at Lomita Torrance Dental Office that it shows in the quality of our work and our patient interactions and it is one of the reasons why Lomita Torrance Dental Office is the clear choice for the dental patients in the surrounding neighborhood.
We hope that each of our patient has a happy and healthy smile makeover and that means protecting your teeth and your oral health. We care for your smile and to have a detailed understanding regarding your oral care, you can always schedule a consultation with our dental hygienist at 23520 Crenshaw Boulevard Torrance, CA 90505 or by calling us at (424) 201-2885.
About Your Torrance, CA, Periodontist Dr. Teboul:
We look forward to providing families with exceptional care and advanced treatment options. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Teboul contact our Torrance, CA, dental office today by calling (424) 201-2885. Our office welcomes new patients in and around Torrance, CA, including Lomita, Lawndale, Carson, Redondo Beach, West Carson, Gardena, Alondra Park, Manhattan Beach and the surrounding Los Angeles County communities.
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