COVID-19 Protocols

The QPD was designed on the principles of human safety, patient comfort, environmental friendliness, and technological advances. And this was before COVID-19 changed our world.

Infection control protocols have been the cornerstone of safe dental offices everywhere. And since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the standard infection control protocols have now been upgraded to multi-barrier infection control. Dr. Salehezadeh, who has been a true germaphobe before it was cool to be a germaphobe, has researched every possible way to increase the safety and limit the exposure of the virus for our patients and our team, at every step of the dental visit. It is important for us that our patients feel comfortable and safe during this time (and always) for their dental appointments.

We have always followed strict OSHA and CDC infection control guidelines along with "universal precautions" that include:
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- Continual hand-washing before and after we see each patient.
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- Consistent wearing of approved personal protective equipment by our doctors and clinical team, minimizing the risk of transmitting germs from one patient to another.
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- Use of ultrasonic cleaner to remove saliva, debris, and other biological materials with the use of cavitation before the sterilizing process.
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- Utilization of a hospital grade Midmark M11 autoclave sterilizer, ensuring proper sterilization of all instruments with high heat and pressure.
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- Complete disinfection of all surfaces in each treatment room and our laboratory with medical grade disinfectants, resulting in proper sanitation and elimination of 99.9% of viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. 
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- Disinfecting all door handles, bathroom surfaces, and the waiting area, providing the safest environment possible.

To strengthen our everyday infection control process, we have also made significant investments and incorporated new routines into every aspect of our practice. Some of these include: a strict mask policy for all persons entering The QPD; touch-free hand sanitizer stations throughout the office; multiple air purifiers which significantly reduce exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and influenza in common areas and each treatment room; multi-layered personal protective gear (PPE) worn by the clinical team; whenever possible, incorporating an additional suction system to remove aerosols and droplets during dental treatment; and finally utilizing a UVc sterilization unit to disinfect the treatment room (more details in section 2 below).

While many questions about this novel coronavirus are still unanswered, we are taking multiple measures for each stage of engaging with our patients - before, during, and after your visit - to minimize the risk of infection in general and for COVID-19 in particular. These important and effective measures are in addition to our regular pre-COVID routines, and are grouped in the following 3 categories:

While many questions about this novel coronavirus are still unanswered, we are taking multiple measures for each stage of engaging with our patients - before, during, and after your visit - to minimize the risk of infection in general and for COVID-19 in particular. These important and effective measures are in addition to our regular pre-COVID routines, and are grouped in the following 3 categories:

1. Pre-treatment measures:
- We are limiting the number of appointments scheduled per day, thereby reducing the number of patients seen at the office each day.

- The QPD is setup to be truly paperless; and so, we request for you, our patients, to fill out online forms prior to your appointment, thereby reducing unnecessary contact with additional objects while at our office.

- We ask you to please present to your appointment alone unless you are the parent/guardian of our pediatric patient.

- We ask of you to check-in for your appointment via your phone: call or text us to let us know you’re outside and we will let you know when to enter The QPD.

- All persons entering The QPD will be required to wear a mask, until instructed otherwise (for treatment). This includes The QPD team and excluded children under 2.

- All persons entering The QPD will be required to sanitize their hands and discard their gloves.  

- Upon the arrival of your appointment, your temperature will be checked (contact-free, of course) and we will go over The QPD prescreening questionnaire with you.  

- You will notice a sparsely occupied waiting area, and we will ensure that your time there will also be limited (and socially distant from others).

2. Mid-treatment measures:
- Upon being seated in the comfy chair of the enclosed treatment room, you, the patient, will be required to rinse with a hydrogen peroxide-based oral rinse.

- Your treatment team will be more covered than usual as we will be treating you behind a double layer of masks (an N95 & ASTM Level 3 mask), in addition to a face shield.

- We have added air purifiers throughout the office, including in the treatment rooms. With the use of PECO technology, these purifiers take in the surrounding air from every angle and break down pollutants at a molecular level including VOCs, bacteria, mold, viruses, and allergens. In fact, PECO destroys pollutants 1000x smaller than what the HEPA standard even tests for.

- Whenever possible, we will be utilizing our highly sought-after extra-oral suction device. This stand-alone unit, placed outside of the mouth, removes droplets and aerosols that are normally produced and released into the air during dental treatment. Simultaneously, the powerful suction system removes harmful particles down to 0.3 micron through its highly efficient medical grade HEPA filtration, and sterilizes all viruses and bacteria trapped in the filter via its internal UV light. These three actions result in clean air in our treatment rooms, void of 99.97% of potentially dangerous particles that may have been present otherwise.  

3. Post-treatment measures:
- Once treatment is finished, you will be asked to place your mask back on (remember: over your nose AND mouth).

- Prior to exiting the treatment room, you will be asked to sanitize your hands using the touchless hand sanitizer.

- One of The QPD team members will walk you to the checkout area to take care of the (touchless) payment for services and/or scheduling next appointment, circumventing multiple patients present in the reception area.

- Sterilizing the treatment rooms with a UVc sanitizer to effectively kill any (unlikely present) germs, therefore keeping the room safe for all patients.

In short, we have exceeded safety guidelines and requirements, striving to serve and treat you in only the safest environment possible. Please note, when you are arriving for your visit with us at The QPD, we need you to know and understand:
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- You must wear a mask, discard your gloves, and sanitize your hands once you enter The QPD. We cannot see you otherwise.

- No one with a temperature of 100°F or higher will be allowed to stay at The QPD, for the safety of our patients and ourselves too.

- The above measures also apply to The QPD team.

- We are all in this together and will do our best to limit the spread of this virus within our community.