Most Dental Franklin NC clinics operate using strict business and sterilization guidelines. However, some do not. That is why you need to be careful when you see a dentist for the first time. Before you know how seriously a dentist takes hygienic measures in his office, make an appointment so you can check out certain aspects of his dental practice. Doing this will help you decide if you want to establish yourself as a patient with the dentist you are seeing for the first time.
When you see a dentist for the first time, it’s important to examine the surrounding and how the dentist performs certain tasks. For starters, get a good look at the office. Is it cluttered? Are there soiled towels on the ground and counter-tops? Are there dirty dental instruments lying in trays? If so, this might be a sign that the dentist is not following protocol regarding the handling of his dental supplies and dental equipment.
Before the dentist starts your examination and consultation, ask to see an autoclave validation. An autoclave is a sterilization machine that makes dental instruments usable on different patients. To verify that an autoclave is working properly, a reputable Dental Franklin, NC practice will order envelopes containing bacteria from a third party. The dentist of his staff will put these envelops into the autoclave weekly or monthly to see how well the machine is working. After they are run through, these envelopes are sent back to the company for analysis. The company will issue a report about the findings and send to the dentist. Don’t hesitate to ask for this. It’s important to protect yourself against cross-contamination that can occur in a dental office.
Finally, make sure you make sure the dentist is puts on a new pair of gloves before he looks at your mouth. These gloves should only come out of a glove dispenser. After he puts on a new pair, he should only touch your mouth or the clean dental instruments he will use on you. Cautiously observing the dentist on all of these procedures will help to determine whether he is a competent dentist to see.
