Infection Control

Dental Infection Control is an important and urgent issue to your health. The health and safety of our patients is our number one priority. Universal Precautions - scientifically determined standards and procedures - are taken to guarantee your protection. These precautions start with the use of physical barriers such as gloves, masks, and eyewear and extend to disinfection/sterilization methods which all health care providers must use.

Instruments and supplies are sterilized using either an autoclave (steam under pressure) or a rapid transfer dry heat oven. Items that cannot be sterilized by these methods are either one-time-use disposables or effectively disinfected with an Environmental Protection Agency-registered hospital tested chemical disinfectant.

The treatment rooms are closed rooms to aid in contamination containment and to lend privacy to the patient. Dr. Goebbel utilized his experience as an Infection Control Officer with the United States Public Health Service, Indian Health Service to design treatment rooms equipped with a laminar flow air system (similar to computer manufacturing clean rooms) to control airborne contaminants generated in the delivery of dental treatment.

The treatment room surfaces (counters, carts, chairs, etc.) are cleaned and disinfected with a wipe-stand-wipe technique using chemical cleaners and disinfectants shown to have high tubercucidal and virocidal kill.