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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!

Does Chewing Tobacco Harm Your Mouth as Much as Smoking?


Posted on 10/20/2019 by Dr. Andrew Zeiger
Does Chewing Tobacco Harm Your Mouth as Much as Smoking?One of the most effective products in the world that causes cavities is tobacco. Whether you use smoking tobacco or smokeless tobacco, it's been linked to cavities and gum disease in many studies. Each form of tobacco has negative effects on the oral cavity. Many people question which is worse for your oral care, smoking or smokeless tobacco?

Effects of smokeless tobacco

If you are concerned about cancer, smoking puts you at risk 10x higher than chewing. This is due to the lungs being much more sensitive than teeth. That being said, chewing tobacco increases your risk of cavities and gum disease four times more than smoking.

The cavities are usually at the gum line, also causing gum disease. Using smokeless tobacco produces a specific change in the area of the mouth where it's normally held. It will appear more whitish and wrinkled than your normal healthy tissue. Studies show if someone stops using tobacco, the appearance of the tissue in the mouth will return to normal in two to six weeks.

Effects of smoking tobacco

With tobacco chew causing higher rates of cavities, don't get too excited yet, if you are a smoker, multiple studies show smokers are 4x more at risk for cavities and gum disease than non-smokers. Smoking dehydrates the mouth, leaving teeth covered with a film shown to aid in plaque growth. As soon as someone decides to quit smoking, the risk of oral cancer begins to decrease. In studies, it is generally acknowledged that it takes around fifteen years after you quit smoking for the risk of a prior smoker to approach that of someone that has never smoked.

The bottom line with tobacco is chewing it will affect your teeth and gums quicker than smoking. Smoking puts you 10x higher of developing cancer. They both cause cavities and put you at a higher risk for gum disease. Quitting now has infinite benefits. If you are interested in a checkup or for further information about tobacco and its effect on your oral health, give us a call today.
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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, 2/9/2025, Key Phrases: dentist Prescott Valley,