Due to COVID-19 our office is implementing procedures and protocols to ensure our patients and clinicians are provided with a safe environment. Dr. Little is dedicated to staying informed and up to date with the latest COVID-19 healthcare information, guidelines, and standards. Please read through our COVID-19 transmission prevention protocols.
*Standard COVID-19 pre-screening questions and temperature check for all clinicians and patients
All clinicians and patients are prescreened for COVID-19 using the ADA (American Dental Association) Patient Screening Form in combination with a temperature check. Any person who is a potential transmission risk will be immediately asked to go home. All areas that were potentially contaminated are properly cleaned and sanitized ensuring minimal transmission exposure.
*Cleaning and disinfection
Our office is up to date with industry cleaning and disinfection standards. We are proud to say we use BIO SURF spray (Disinfects well in heavy blood and protein environments. One-minute high level disinfection (TB, parvovirus). BIO SURF spray is one of the highest rated cleaning and disinfection sprays in its class, independently tested and rated by Clinicians Report.
We clean and disinfect all operatories after each patient. The waiting room area and bathrooms are cleaned and disinfected every hour or by traffic volume.
*Mandatory mask policy
Anyone inside our office is ALWAYS required to wear a mask, unless sitting in a dental chair for dental procedures, in accordance with state guidelines.
*Stay Home Sick Policy
Clinicians and patients are being asked to stay home if they feel unwell for any reason. This precaution is taken by our office to help eliminate the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause; however we feel obligated in providing a safe environment for anyone who visits our dental office.
*HVAC Aerosol Extraction System
Dr. Little invested several hundred hours researching, engineering, and building his best COVID-19 prevention protocol, an aerosol evacuation system. Extraction of created aerosols in hygiene rooms limits the risk for exposure and transmission because the potentially harmful aerosols are being extracted out of the room and outside of the building where the virus cannot survive. A video is provided below for more information.
*UV irradiated air HVAC System
In duct irradiation systems, UV lamps are placed inside ducts that remove air from rooms to disinfect the air before it is recirculated. Properly installed UV lamps clean (sterilize) air that is circulated through our office.
*Ozone HVAC
In hygiene rooms UV sterilization units clean the air in the operatories, helping to ensure potentially harmful aerosols and viruses are eliminated from the air.
*HEPA Air Filtration
HEPA, which stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air, is a designation used to describe filters that trap 99.97 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns or greater. Our office building has
*Negative Pressure Rooms
Our office uses recirculated air. High volume fans create sufficient positive pressure to force air through the building duct work and adequate negative pressure to evacuate air from the conditioned space into the return duct work and/or exhaust. Our building recirculates air about every 27 minutes, allowing clean air to be circulated into the building from HEPA filtered, UV irradiated air duct systems.