Health Safety Protocols

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

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!

What to Do Following a Tooth Extraction

Posted on 9/23/2016 by Dr. Andrew Zeiger

A woman in pain after a tooth being extracted.

It can be a bit scary to face a tooth extraction, especially when the extraction is unexpected due to trauma. Have no fear, we have just the tips that you should know in order to weather the storm and come out smelling like daisies!

Tooth extractions are very common and no matter what the reason, we have the knowledge and expertise to guide you back to a healthy and happy mouth.

The Blood Clot is Important

When a tooth is extracted we will pack the site with gauze in order to stop the flow of blood. Soon after (30 minutes to an hour) the blood will have formed a clot in the site.

This blood clot is key to the site healing successfully. In order to ensure that the clot stays put, it is important not to explore the site with your tongue. Sometimes it can be tempting to feel around when things change dramatically in your mouth, in this case, try your best not to.

During the healing process it is important not to use straws to drink with and smoking is definitely not advisable. Suction in the oral cavity can cause the blood clot to break loose.

Allow Time to Heal

Over the next couple of days make sure to be mindful of the extraction site. Eating things that are hard or pointy could pose a risk to the site and ought to be avoided. Take pain killers as directed and try to stay comfortable.

Consider Tooth Replacement

It is important to replace teeth as they are lost. Dental implants offer a great tooth replacement option that gives you all the advantages of a real tooth.

If teeth are lost and not replaced, there is a high likelihood that further tooth loss will occur. Permanent and removable dental bridges also offer great tooth replacement options.

Please contact us if you have any questions about teeth extractions.

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Bradshaw Family Dental
& Smile Design Center

Prescott Valley
7136 East Pav Way
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
(928) 277-0076

Prescott
172 E Merritt St.
Suite F
Prescott, Arizona 86301
(928) 443-1200

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 | 1/18/2025 | Associated Words: dentist Prescott Valley |