“Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness and bad days give you experience” Unknown author.

Dentistry has been extremely proactive in regards to infection control since 1984. The HIV and AIDS virus caused an incredible awakening of the dental community in how we address infectious diseases and how we strive to prevent cross contamination of surfaces and instruments. We use high level disinfectants on all hard surfaces and we steam autoclave all the instruments we utilize in treating our patients. Of course, we have been wearing gloves, masks and eye protection since 1984.
Today, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all our treatment garments are either sprayed with isopropyl alcohol or washed after patient exposures. We put disposable covers on virtually every surface we can and utilize high level disinfectants on all other surfaces. Our office rooms are thoroughly cleaned with high level disinfectants daily and all touch surfaces are wiped multiple times during the day.
Since March 15, 2020, there has been a shortage of many cleaning, disinfecting supplies. Patients have asked about alternative cleaning solutions. Bleach is an excellent household disinfectant, but should be diluted 1/3 of a cup to 1 gallon of water. Isopropyl alcohol is also a good disinfectant if it is at least 70% isopropyl. Hydrogen peroxide is an effective disinfectant which at the 3% solution commonly found in stores can kill germs and viruses. Its drawbacks are it can damage certain surfaces and it is a more dangerous chemical than other disinfectants.
Should you or a love one have any questions about sterilization and disinfectants, please contact our office.

Sincerely,
Michael W. Dagostino DDS