Keeping You Safe

Our Infection Management System

A dominant issue in today's health care is control of the spread of infectious diseases such as AIDS, herpes, hepatitis, and even the common cold. We share your concerns about this important issue and because your total health and safety are our first priority, our office takes infection control seriously.

To that end, we have adopted the very latest in prevention techniques, including:

Barrier Techniques

We wear disposable masks and gloves which we change each time we see a different patient. We also cover the head-rests on the dental chairs with a protective covering that is replaced between patients.

Disinfectant Wipe-Down

We clean all operatory surfaces and equipment with anti-bacterial cleansers between patients.

Instrument Sterilization

When your appointment with Dr. Atkinson or one of our hygienists begins, you may notice a package wrapped in paper near the dental chair. This is no ordinary package - it contains a unique tray of dental instruments that is part of the special sterilization system used by Atkinson Dental Clinic.

The sterilization process we use is called the Instrument Management System (IMS). This standardized regimen for cleaning and sterilizing assures you that the instruments used during your visit to our office are the cleanest and safest they can be.

To better understand how the IMS works, let's take a closer look at the procedure:

1. Ultrasonic Cleaning Following patient treatment, the IMS tray of instruments is taken to the sterilization area. There, disposable items are discarded and the tray of instruments placed in an ultrasonic cleaner, where the 40,000 vibrations per second remove even the most minute particles from the instruments. After removal from the ultrasound, the instrument tray is wrapped in sterilization paper and sealed with special tape to monitor the next phase of the sterilization process.
2. Heat Sterilization The wrapped tray is then placed in the autoclave - a device that uses steam to sterilize equipment and other objects. By maintaining a temperature of 250°F for 15 minutes, the autoclave kills bacteria and viruses that have survived the ultrasound process. The Monitor Tape that seals the sterilization paper changes color when the appropriate temperature is reached, insuring that each tray of instruments is clean and free of infectious organisms.