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Health Safety Protocols


Image of a woman smiling, after having healthy teeth and following health safety protocols at Bradshaw Family Dental.To Our Valued Patients at Surprise Smiles,

Welcome! We are open, looking forward to seeing returning patients, accepting new patients, and operating under normal business hours! The Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDS) is still not recommending any type of closures or modification in hours. We will continue to monitor information coming from both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and AZDHS and keep you apprised of any changes or updates. We will stay on top of this information and bring it to you as soon as possible through our website, email, and social media.

As we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, our dentists and dental team want to assure you that we are continuing to do our best to make sure it a priority that we are following the latest health and safety guidelines from the CDC, specifically as they relate to the dental industry. We value keeping our patients and staff members safe and comfortable.

As part of our daily standard health and safety protocols, our office follows ‘Universal Precautions’ in order to protect our patients and our staff. These are precautions we have always taken, and are not new. By taking ‘universal precautions’ means we always assume that anyone could potentially be carrying a contagious and dangerous disease. We therefore follow strict guidelines to prevent the transmission of any potential disease, be it COVID-19 (Coronavirus), hepatitis, tuberculosis, HIV, or any other disease. This has been a standard of care we follow, per the CDC, in regard to blood borne pathogens.

These measures include:
•  strict hand washing protocols
•  use of (single use) disposable protective equipment and barriers
•  thorough disinfection of exposed or potentially exposed surfaces after every patient visit
•  disinfection and high-heat steam sterilization of instruments and routine monitoring of sterilization verification
•  continued education on infection control

Image of a dentist with a mask covering, so she is safe, and follows health safety protocols at Bradshaw Family Dental.Specific to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) we have added in additional precautionary and cleaning measures including:
•  disinfecting common surface areas every 30 minutes
•  providing hand sanitizer in common areas
•  screening everyone who enters our offices based on CDC recommendations
•  offering preprocedural mouth rinse

As state and national health and safety regulations change and evolve during these times, Surprise Smiles is dedicated to monitoring and evaluating our dental practice and office space for any potential risks as we serve our patients and community. We strive to maintain an approach to our dentistry services that is both safe and beneficial to everyone we serve.

We strive to provide a safe, healthy, comfortable, and relaxed environment for everyone that comes into our dental office. We follow the American Dental Association’s Update to Office Procedures During COVID-19 in regard to safe office procedures, workplace hazards, and making decisions for best office practices. We stay informed on recent information given to dentists in this regard, as well as keeping up to date with any changes recommended by the CDC.

Please let us know if you have any questions in regard to our health and safety protocols here at Surprise Smiles. We recognize that it can be challenging during these unprecedented times of COVID-19. We all want to get back to our normal lives, and we will be able to do so, in a safe, wise, and healthy manner. We will be happy to answer any questions that you may have in regard to our dental practice health and safety protocols, cleaning, and disinfecting procedures we follow.

Thank you for continuing to be a valued patient here at Bradshaw Family Dental. We look forward to continuing to serve you and your dental needs through the various services we provide for you, from preventive dentistry, restorative dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, pediatric dentistry, sedation dentistry, dental implants and more!

Dental Filling Materials: The Pros and Cons of Some of the Top Options


Posted on 10/23/2015 by Dr. Andrew Zeiger
A diagram of a dental filling inside a patients tooth.If you are in need of a filling to treat a cavity, you have several options to choose from as far as filling materials. There are pros and cons to each option, and your dentist can help you to choose the right one for you.

However, understanding the pros and cons about some of the most popular can help you to make an informed decision about the right dental filling materials.

Dental Amalgam

Dental amalgam is a type of self-hardening mixture consisting of silver-tin-copper alloy powder. It also contains liquid mercury and may be referred to as a "silver filling" due to the color. This filling is often used to treat broken teeth, and it comes with a variety of advantages:

•  Durable and long lasting, holding up well under the force of biting
•  Relatively inexpensive
•  Self-sealing with virtually no shrinkage
•  Resists further decay
•  Need for replacement and repair is low

However, there are some shortcomings to these fillings. The primary cause for concern is safety, as elemental mercury can make up as much as 54% of the material, and some people are concerned about possible toxicity. However, the FDA and CDC have investigated the safety of this material and have found that there is no proof to show that amalgam can harm patients, except in the cases of allergy, which is rare. Other negatives include the fact that the filling doesn't match the rest of the tooth and the fact that putting it into the tooth will require some healthy tooth removal.

Composite Resin

Composite resin fillings are made up of a mix of plastic resin and powdered glass in order to create a white or tooth-colored filling. This material is used for fillings as well as crowns, veneers, and inlays, and it can repair portions of broken teeth. The benefits of choosing a composite resin include the fact that these fillings are tooth-colored, they preserve the maximum amount of the natural tooth, and they are resistant to breakage.

However, like all dental procedures, some shortcomings can be noted with composite resin fillings:

•  Some fillings may cause tooth sensitivity
•  These fillings tend to cost more than the dental amalgam option
•  The material can shrink when hardened, possibly leading to temperature sensitivity or further decay
•  These fillings can wear faster than the dental enamel and can leak over time when they are bonded under the enamel layer

Porcelain or Ceramic

Porcelain is a material similar to glass that is formed into fillings using models of the teeth. This material is also used to create fixed bridges and crowns, and it is tooth-colored. Benefits include the fact that these fillings provide good resistance to additional decay as long as the restoration fits well, and porcelain is usually resistant to surface wear and leakage. However, this material can be brittle and might break under the biting forces, so it is not recommended for the molars.

Resin-Isomer Cement

This material is a mix of resin polymer and glass along with an organic acid that will harden when exposed to a specialized light used in your dentist's office. It is tooth-colored and is more translucent than other options, but it is most commonly used to treat small fillings. Resin-isomer cement is a good option for fillings because it can provide a defense against decay by releasing fluoride, and a minimal amount of the tooth will need to be removed.

It is great for non-biting surfaces, but its use can be limited because it isn't recommended to restore the biting surfaces of the teeth. Resin-isomer cement is also fairly expensive and might wear faster than amalgam or composite fillings.

If you have additional questions about the types of dental filling materials available, contact our office for more information.
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Dental Blog - Prescott Valley, AZ • Bradshaw Family Dental
Dr. Frausto & Associates are providing this blog to enlighten their patients and the community. At Bradshaw Family Dental our hope is this blog will cover any issues that you and your family may need.
Bradshaw Family Dental, 7136 East Pav Way, Prescott Valley, AZ 86314, (928) 277-0076, bradshawfamilydental.com, 11/4/2024, Related Terms: dentist Prescott Valley,