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!

Does a Small Gap Between Your Teeth Actually Hurt Your Mouth?
Prescott Valley, AZ

Posted on 6/10/2019 by Dr. Andrew Zeiger

Person smiling at Bradshaw Family Dental in Prescott Valley, AZ.

Gaps can appear anywhere between your teeth throughout your mouth. However, the most noticeable place they occur is between your two teeth in the upper front part of your mouth.

This is what's known as a diastema and is something you're born with. There are some types of gaps that'll appear between your teeth, which you don't want to have happen to you.

Why you may be Getting Gaps Between Your Teeth

There are a few unnatural types of gaps that can occur between your teeth. For instance, some people have a tongue thrust problem that results in gaps. Another issue (one that's much more problematic in nature) that causes diastema is gum disease – something that can cause gaps to grow considerably larger over time.

What to do About Gaps Between Your Teeth

When you notice gaps between your teeth or we find them while conducting a routine dental exam, you may suddenly find yourself wondering what you can and should do about them.

The first thing you should do is relax because sometimes gaps in your teeth may close by themselves – especially if they're located in the front of your mouth in your upper jaw. Otherwise you should know that there are some orthodontic and non-orthodontic treatments we can use to correct them.

This includes things like dental bonding (applying a tooth-colored resin material to your teeth, then shaping it so it looks natural) and dental veneers (placing a thin piece of porcelain that's shaped to match your tooth's shape and color over your teeth). Of course, if the gap between your teeth is caused by gum disease, you'll want to have it treated prior to having either of these procedures.

For more information about small gaps between your teeth and their effect on your mouth, make sure you call us today at (928) 277-0076.

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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, 4/13/2025, Related Phrases: dentist Prescott Valley,

Health Safety Protocols

Does a Small Gap Between Your Teeth Actually Hurt Your Mouth?Prescott Valley, AZ

Why you may be Getting Gaps Between Your Teeth

What to do About Gaps Between Your Teeth

Does a Small Gap Between Your Teeth Actually Hurt Your Mouth?
Prescott Valley, AZ