{"id":14060,"date":"2021-10-14T18:57:05","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T18:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/?p=14060"},"modified":"2026-01-08T19:39:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T19:39:03","slug":"what-wdc-is-doing-to-make-your-visit-to-the-dentist-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2021\/10\/14\/what-wdc-is-doing-to-make-your-visit-to-the-dentist-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"What WDC is doing to make your visit to the dentist safe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/safety-image-for-blog.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14061\" width=\"341\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/safety-image-for-blog.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/safety-image-for-blog-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/safety-image-for-blog-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Safety has always been a primary concern for dental offices because, like other healthcare providers, they need to have a clean and safe environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The coronavirus pandemic made it even more important for dentists to enact strong safety protocols, and Westgate Dental Care has been at the forefront with a detailed <a>plan it started <\/a><a href=\"#_msocom_1\">[m1]<\/a>&nbsp;in early 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe always practiced safety guidelines prior to the pandemic,\u201d said Vinny Criscione, Certified Dental Assistant\u00a0and Clinical Team Lead at Westgate Dental Care. \u201cThe pandemic has shown\u00a0us\u00a0just how important it is to share\u00a0with and educate\u00a0our patients that these protocols\u00a0exist, have been enhanced and that safety-conscious clinicians\u00a0can be found at Westgate Dental Care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>The clinical team has always followed&nbsp;universal safety protocols and&nbsp;followed&nbsp;OSHA guidelines, Criscione said. The enhanced protocols followed the&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;public health guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn response to the pandemic,&nbsp;advanced chairside suction&nbsp;has been added&nbsp;in each of the hygiene&nbsp;suites,&nbsp;hospital-grade&nbsp;air-purifiers&nbsp;were placed throughout the office,&nbsp;and&nbsp;social distancing markers&nbsp;were all implemented as part of our Commitment to Safety,\u201d Criscione said. \u201cOur air has never been cleaner. We have added MERV-13 grade filters to our HVAC system with in-system UV sterilization.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn addition,&nbsp;our team is&nbsp;gowned up from head to toe&nbsp;by&nbsp;using&nbsp;full personal protective equipment (PPE) as another layer of protection to minimize the spread&nbsp;of airborne particles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Westgate Commitment to Safety also includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Advanced Staff Training: Team members received additional awareness and prevention programs.<\/li><li>Safety Champion: One staff member is selected each day to greet patients, answer questions and conduct other tasks associated with Westgate\u2019s Commitment to Safety.<\/li><li>Social Distancing: The practice is limiting office tours and close social contact, as well as putting fewer chairs in the reception area.<\/li><li>Anti-Microbial Rinse: The practice is providing a rinse for patients to use before each visit.<\/li><li>Changes in Patient Scheduling: The office is creating more space between patients\u2019 appointments, making it less likely patients will cross paths at the office. Also, the office is offering extended appointments, which allow for more work during each visit.<\/li><li>Pre-Screening of Every Patient: A no-touch temperature check and questionnaire are completed when each patient arrives at the office. Patients are also asked to disinfect their hands at the hand sanitizing station.<\/li><li>Increased cleaning: In addition to thoroughly wiping, sanitizing, and disinfecting all instruments, equipment and surfaces after every patient, the practice is doing a deep scrub down each night.<\/li><li>Masking protocols: The clinical team, which includes dentists, hygienists, and assistants, are all using top-line masks and face shields.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If patients have safety-related questions,&nbsp;they can call the practice and discuss them with the staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs unfortunate as this&nbsp;pandemic has been, we\u2019ve grown to see this as a learning opportunity,\u201d Criscione said. \u201cWe plan to keep&nbsp;these enhanced safety measures in place as this has become our \u2018new normal.\u2019 The safety of our patients and team will always be top priority!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Safety has always been a primary concern for dental offices because, like other healthcare providers, they need to have a clean and safe environment. The coronavirus pandemic made it even more important for dentists to enact strong safety protocols, and Westgate Dental Care has been at the forefront with a detailed plan it started [m1]&nbsp;in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What WDC is doing to make your visit to the dentist safe - Westgate Dental Care Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You may be worried about visiting the dentist right now, but here are the steps Westgate Dental Care is taking to make your visit safe.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2021\/10\/14\/what-wdc-is-doing-to-make-your-visit-to-the-dentist-safe\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"What WDC is doing to make your visit to the dentist safe - 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