I hope that you and your family have remained healthy and have been able to manage reasonably well with the stress and difficult circumstances of this unprecedented time. As many of you know, our periodontal/implant practice is closed, except to treat emergencies, until June 8th. I have been using some of the extra time I now have to learn about the science of COVID-19 as well as how we can best provide a safe environment for our patients and staff considering this information.
On March 15th I sent a letter describing our pre-COVID19 infection control protocol and new measures we were implementing to make our office a safer place during this pandemic. Based on my research, I have now employed additional technologies and a disinfecting agent to our infection control protocol to address air quality.
- Hospital grade filtration units have been placed in the treatment rooms and reception area. These units filter 99.5% of harmful ultrafine particles down to 0.003 microns in size. This is 100 times smaller than what is achieved with ordinary air filtration technology and 10 times smaller than most viruses. COVID-19 is .12 microns in size.
- A unique suction hose will now be used in the mouth. This device will efficiently remove the saliva as well as any droplets that may leave your mouth during treatment.
- The measures we have been using to disinfect the treatment rooms and common areas requires the frequent use of many chemical sprays and wipes. Consistently breathing in these chemicals is not healthy. The new oral rinse we began using earlier this year to address bacteria and viruses has recently been found to kill COVID-19. The active ingredient in this rinse is hypochlorous acid, basically salt water that has been activated with electric current. We will now be using this activated salt water to disinfect our office. It will remove bacteria and viruses and allow for a healthier air quality.
We will continue to keep you updated with changes to the opening of our office or any new infection control measures we implement in the office. The health, safety and well-being of our patients is our top priority.
