Sterilization Protocol

At Glen Ellyn Dentistry, we take special care and precautions to ensure your safety and comfort in our office environment. As healthcare providers, health and safety are always our top concerns. We have established proper controls in and around our office designed to keep our patients and team safe and healthy so that we can provide you with exceptional dental care in an office environment designed to be as safe as possible. 

How We Keep You Safe in Our Office

Our entire staff has extensive training in following the cleaning, sanitation, and sterilization procedures throughout our office. We closely monitor and follow the recommendations put forward by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the American Dental Association (ADA), American General Dentistry (AGD), the Illinois Dental Society (IDS), and the Chicago Dental Society (CDS). 

Office Cleaning, Sterilization Equipment, and Personal Protective Equipment

Our office is thoroughly cleaned each day, and high-touch surfaces are disinfected with an EPA-approved chemical disinfectant several times throughout the day. Disinfectant hand soap is readily available for all hand-washing sinks, and we require the use of face masks and gloves for our staff. We recommend masks for clients. 

The Use of Disposable Materials

Whenever possible, we use disposable materials in our office that can be thrown out and replaced between every patient’s visit. These include items such as masks and face shields, gowns, gloves, gauze, and, of course, dental floss and brushes.

We thoroughly train all of our staff members in the proper handling, storage, use, and disposal of all single-use items. 

Sterilization of Reusable Dental Instruments

All dental instruments and tools that are not disposable (reusable dental instruments) are sterilized to industry and regulatory standards immediately before and after each use. 

We use professional-grade equipment, such as dental autoclaves, dental sterilizers, and steam sterilizers, to clean, sterilize, store, and resterilize these tools before use. These machines thoroughly clean dental instruments with high-pressure, steam, and heat designed to kill viruses and bacteria. 

Following use, instruments are cleaned using these machines and then stored in FDA-compliant packaging. Before using them again, they are once again sterilized in our FDA-compliant dental autoclave. After each use, we also clean and disinfect the machines themselves. 

Keeping You Safe and Healthy

At Glen Ellyn Dentistry, our top priority is keeping you safe and healthy while you receive high-quality dental care in our office. If you have any concerns about your health and safety while visiting our office, we encourage you to discuss your concerns with a member of our staff. We always do our best to accommodate the individual needs of our patients to ensure you feel safe and comfortable visiting our office. For example, we can allow you to check in for your appointment over the phone from your car or schedule the first appointment in the day when there are fewer people in our office. 

For more information about our commitment to your health and safety or to request an appointment, we welcome you to contact Glen Ellyn Dentistry at 630-942-0727 today.