Leichhardt St Dental has implemented safe and effective procedures as part of our Covid safe plan as we work to prevent the spread of Covid-19
As an accredited dental practice we follow strict standards that are above and beyond the minimum required standards. As members of the Australian Dental Association’s we follow the guidelines for infection prevention and control.
Our protocols begin with:
A clean and disinfected reception room. After every single patient we wipe over the entire reception area, the entry door, the eftpos machine and reception desk.
This is followed with exceptional Hand Hygiene.
Hand hygiene
All our patients and dental team use dedicated hand wash facilities and alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) between and during all patient appointments. We have all completed the Hand Hygiene Australia training and protocols.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Personal protective equipment such as masks and coats are an essential part of our day to day operations.
Masks continue to be required in the waiting room, especially if you cannot social distance. We ensure our patients are booked with a small gap between each appointment to avoid overlap and a crowded waiting room. This is in keeping with our personalized dental service philosophy.
We also allow what is called a “Fallow Time” – a 30 minute rest time for the dental surgery where the air can be cleaned and cleared after a dental procedure. As we have two dental chairs this enables us to move into the other dental chair while one room is allowed a fallow time.
Within the dental surgery during treatment, glasses and shields are worn in addition to masks and coats in order to protect both our team and our patients.
Our dental chairs and dental rooms are also fitted with protective barriers. The touch surfaces are covered with a wrap that is changed for each patient – this means the covers are personalized to you and work to eliminate cross contamination. In addition to this the dental chairs and all touch surfaces are cleaned in a two step protocol – the first with detergent that breaks up the bacterial and viral biofilms and then disinfectant that kills the viruses and bacteria.
Sterlisation of Dental Instruments
All dental instruments follow a comprehensive sterilization protocol. Instruments are put through an ultrasonic to remove debris, then deep cleaned and dried. The final step is to Autoclave and sterilize.
Our Autoclave is tested vigorously every day in accordance with national guidelines. Every morning three tests are performed to ensure the Autoclave is operating at maximum effectiveness and every load is checked with chemical indicators throughout each day to ensure full sterilization is achieved.
Every dental instrument we use is also tracked so we know the exact cleaning and autoclave cycle each and every instrument went through. This process is known as batch control. The dental instruments are placed in sterile bags until ready to be used by you, chair side for your appointment. Instrument trays are covered with your personalized cover and upon this we place your sterile dental instruments. At Leichhardt St Dental Practice we do not use dental instruments that cannot be placed in the autoclave. Cold sterilisation – for instruments that would melt or distort in the autoclave – was performed many years ago, but we have never allowed cold sterilization at our practice.
Our sterilization equipment is Swiss-German branded, well known as the best machinery and technology in dentistry.
Your safety is our priority
At Leichhardt St Dental Practice we use the following manuals to implement, train and practise our infection control procedures:
- Dental Board of Australia Infection Control Guidelines 2010
- ADA Guidelines on Infection Control 4th Edition 2021
- Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in healthcare, National Health and Medical Research council 2019
- Standards AS/NZS 4815 Office-based health care facilities – Instrument, equipment and environments.
We are confident we offer the best possible environment for you to safely visit our practice without stress or concern. We look forward to seeing you soon.