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, it’s both safe and comfortable.
Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the Alberta Dental Association and College (ADA&C), Health Canada and the Canadian Centre For Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).
We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.
To ensure the health and well-being of our patients and team members, we have installed 2 different types of air purifiers at our dental office. Both of these are manufactured by the Canadian company, Surgically Clean Air.
CASCADE WHITE - The Cascade White is the first unit you will see when you enter our office. We have placed this in the waiting area because this is the largest room in our office. The Cascade White is able to filter up to 576 cubic feet per minute.
The Cascade White filter has 6 stages of filtration including UV sterilization, plus two additional negative ion chambers to ensure the air is as fresh as possible. These six filters capture 99.998% of dust particles, pollen, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), mold, allergens, viruses, odors (like formaldehyde and smoke), bio-aerosols, laughing gas, and many other pollutants that are found in the inside air. The negative ion generator makes the indoor environment feel more pure, clean, and energized.
JADE - The Jade filter is what you will find in each of our operatories. The Jade filters still have the same 6 stage filtering system and will move 383 cubic feet per minute. This means the Jade will filter all the air in a 10 x 10 room in about 2 minutes.
Both of these filters perform their duties without being loud, (an industry-leading low level of about 55DB) or creating a “breeze” that can be uncomfortable for our patients.
Some additional changes you may also see when it is time for your next appointment. For example:
Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office. We will not allow patients to enter our office who have symptoms or have traveled outside of Canada in the last 2 weeks.
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.
You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
In the interest of physical distancing, we are advising all adult patients to attend the office alone to prevent crowding.
Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
For our safety and yours, we currently cannot accept walk-ins.
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. To make an appointment, please call our office at (403) 382‑2273.
So come on in to get your dental work done and enjoy Surgically Clean Air!
If you feel you need immediate treatment, we recommend calling our dental office to confirm at (403) 382-2273!
Nobody expects a dental emergency to arise, but it’s helpful to learn what to do in such an event.
Here at Cool Dental in Lethbridge, we do our best to see you the same day you call about a dental emergency. And if we can’t schedule you immediately, we can offer advice over the phone while you wait to see the dentist.
Toothache. You may also take over-the-counter pain medication. Then clean your mouth to remove debris that may be stuck to your tooth. If there’s any swelling, apply an ice pack to the outer side of your cheek where the ache is.
Badly bitten lip or tongue. Apply pressure with a cloth to stop the bleeding and use ice to manage swelling. If the bleeding persists, head to the nearest hospital emergency.
Chipped or broken tooth. Rinse with warm water. Place an ice pack against your outer cheek where the damaged tooth is. Keep tooth fragments in milk or cold water and take it to the dental office with you. Our dentist, Dr. Lachman, may perform dental bonding, apply white fillings, or place a crown to restore the tooth.
Knocked out tooth. To save the tooth, you need to get to the dental office right away. We recommend going to the emergency room if we're not able to see you on the same day. In the meantime, you can put the tooth back into its socket but if this isn't possible, put it in a glass of milk.
Lost crown or filling. Rinse the crown or dental filling with water. If it's one piece, try to put it back and gently bite down on it. If there are several fragments, bring them with you to the dental office. If you can’t find your filling, you can use sugarless gum to cover the hole temporarily.
Object stuck between teeth. Use dental floss or a toothpick to take it out. Be gentle and never use sharp objects as this can damage your teeth and gums. If you can’t remove it, contact our dental team immediately.
Our dental emergency services are open to anyone. We'll see you even if you haven’t been to our office before.
Usually we’re able to treat dental emergencies the same day. We can also perform necessary treatments such as fillings or bonding. If the tooth is infected, we can provide a root canal treatment or extraction.
We need to examine the tooth to identify the best step to take. We might need to take X-rays or else refer to recent ones.
Our priority is to eliminate your pain and discomfort. Once you feel better, we can discuss a long-term dental care plan. We’ll recommend necessary treatments but won’t pressure you if you’re not ready.
Seek Treatment for Your Dental Emergency Today
Time is critical in saving a tooth. Our dental team in Lethbridge will do our best to accommodate you immediately. Call us today at (403) 382-2273.