Safety Protocols

New health protocols from Dentalfone on Vimeo.


A Letter from Dr. Nehra:

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health during this difficult time. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.  And, COVID-19 has only deepened our resolve.

Please know that our office is likely one of the most thoroughly cleaned and disinfected environments you can possibly be in.

We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Thank you for being our patient,

Sanjiv Nehra, D.M.D.


Office Safety Protocols


Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice, and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, its both safe and comfortable. The thorough and rigorous cleaning, sterilization, and disinfection of all instruments and surfaces are routine and second nature to us, as they are throughout dentistry; precautions that make dental offices highly uncommon sources of disease transmission. Our office adheres to stringent procedures maintained by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We want to tell you about the basic infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

  • All our instruments after each use are carefully cleaned and sterilized in a designated area of our practice using hospital grade equipment. We use ultrasonic baths for cleaning, and autoclaves (a high temperature and pressure steam oven) to kill every organism, including COVID-19. We also use tests and indicators to monitor these processes to ensure they are functioning optimally.
  • We wipe down each dental operatory after each patient visit with a hospital-grade surface disinfectant that kills all known infectious diseases, including coronavirus.
  • We have the office wiped and cleaned daily by staff and once a week by a licensed professional company.
  • We have changed our air filtration to a HEPA filter which captures bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus.
  • We have changed the venting in the office to allow for better air circulation, to never allow for “stagnant air.”
  • We will be having the entire office professionally disinfected with medical grade sterilization cleaning equipment by a professional company.
  • Removal of carpet has taken place, where aerosol may lay, to prevent any areas of germs to fester.

For those of you who don’t know, we had a flood in the office, which unfortunately, resulted in extensive damage.  As untimely as this situation was, it allowed us to perform “behind the scenes” upgrades to further create a healthier, safer environment to better protect you and the staff.


New Appointment Protocols


With the changes in the world due to COVID-19, you may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We have made these adjustments to help protect our patients and staff.  These are in addition to all the procedures we follow in general in our day to day operation. For example:

  • We have adjusted patient scheduling and office layout to enforce social distancing.
  • Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some pre-screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
  • You may see that our reception room will no longer offer magazines, childrens toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect. We hope to practice more of a “virtual reception area” in the sense we will ask you to notify us via call or text when you arrive at the office, and we will come to you to greet you at your vehicle and personally escort you inside.  As Gov. Baker has mandated, we ask you to come wearing a face mask.
  • We will be taking your temperature when you arrive. This is a no-contact infrared thermometer.
  • We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
  • Our front desk will have “sneeze guards” to help prevent contact and spread of germs.
  • We will ask you to use a pre-rinse before we begin any treatment. This safe and healthy rinse reduces microbes by 90%.
  • We will be wearing N95 masks, gowns, as well as face shields to protect and prevent the spread of airborne pathogens.
  • We are also using an aerosol after each patient to kill any bacteria and viruses in the air, including coronavirus.
  • We clean our office using products from the EPA’s list of registered surface disinfectants for use against COVID-19.
  • Rooms will have glass barriers to the ceiling to prevent spreading of germs.
  • At the end of each day we are fogging the entire office to again kill any bacteria and viruses in the air, including coronavirus.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice.  If you have any questions or concerns, please call our office at 508-485-1800.