Excellent hand hygiene is one of the most powerful tools you have in the fight to slow the spread of COVID-19. The virus can live on surfaces for hours, so it’s vital to wash your hands well and often. As important as it is for you to be washing your hands, it’s even more crucial for medical professionals who have to provide safe, sterile care for their patients. Fortunately for patients, excellent hand hygiene has always been a staple of dental practices. Read on to find out what your emergency dentist in Granby, CT does to keep their hands completely disinfected for your treatment.
Handwashing Standards
Organizations like the CDC and OSHA have strict hand hygiene guidelines that they recommend all dental professionals follow. Handwashing is a simple, powerful means of disease prevention and infection control. During a typical dental visit, you’re bound to see team members constantly cleaning their hands with antimicrobial soap and alcohol-based hand sanitizer. In response to the pandemic, dental teams are washing their hands even more often. During your next appointment, you’ll notice them completely disinfecting their hands:
- Immediately before and after each interaction with you and other patients
- Any time they touch a used object with bare skin
- Any time they are about to leave the operatory, whether or not your appointment is complete
- After any time spent in the lab or sanitation area
Taking Care of Nails & Skin
Handwashing is a huge component of proper hand hygiene, but there are other factors to consider. Dental professionals also need to make sure that their hands are well-groomed for a number of reasons. Their nails are always trimmed to make sure that you don’t experience any poking or prodding during your appointment. Also, properly trimmed nails are less likely to trap excessive amounts of bacteria than longer nails. Dental teams also monitor the health of the skin on their hands to make sure that they do not have any conditions such as rashes or ulcers that they could potentially pass on to you.
Hand hygiene is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the safety standards that dental offices are putting into place to battle COVID-19. You can be certain that, starting with their hands, they are taking every precaution possible to keep patients healthy during the pandemic.
About the Author
Dr. Kenneth Endres treats each of his patients as he would a family member. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nothing is more important to him than protecting your health. Since graduating from dental school at Howard University, he has spent decades learning the best techniques in dentistry. He has received advanced training in many aspects of dentistry, from restorative dentistry and orthodontics to sedation dentistry and oral surgery. If you would like to find out more about how Dr. Endres and his team at Salmon Brook Dental are working to keep patients safe during the pandemic, they would love to speak with you. Give the office a call (860) 288-8119 or contact them through their website.