Our Infection Control and Sterilization Technology

Safe Dental Care in NYC

In our office, the health and safety of our patients and the dental team are a top priority. Our entire team adheres to strict infection control protocols and we go above and beyond the requirements from federal health officials: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), ADA (American Dental Association), and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). As your home for exceptional dental care, we are committed to providing the safest dental care in NYC.

From basic handwashing to state-of-the-art infection control technology, some of our safety measures include:

  • Medical-grade upper air treatment UVC light fixtures* in each of our treatment rooms and common areas to continuously clean air and safely kill germs and viruses 24/7.
  • A medical-grade mobile room UVC germicidal unit* is used to effectively disinfect rooms between patients. This UV light cleaning system is an additional measure to eliminate unwanted surface and airborne viruses, in conjunction with our routine sterilization practices.
  • EPA approved chemical disinfectants are used on surfaces and countertops multiple times per day.
  • All dental assistants, hygienists, and dentists are OSHA trained. We stress best practices and wear gloves, masks, and eye protection during exams and procedures. Handwashing is performed regularly, including before putting on gloves and after removal of gloves. Additional PPE of gowns and hair covers for some dental procedures will be used.
  • A mobile Extraoral Dental Suction System is used for specific procedures that require a highspeed handpiece and ultrasonic scaler. This system removes droplets and aerosols produced during treatment.
  • Multiple medical-grade air sanitizers will be used throughout the office to filter out air contaminants and maintain air quality.
  • Disinfectant hand soap and waterless hand sanitizers are accessible throughout the office.
  • Reusable equipment, instruments, and handpieces are sterilized with an autoclave that uses steam, heat, and pressure to kill viruses and bacteria. Single-use instruments and materials are properly disposed of after use. Each patient is treated with fresh, clean equipment.
  • Rooms and equipment are thoroughly disinfected after each use.

*American Ultraviolet manufactured our upper air and mobile room UVC units, visit www.AUVHealthcare.com if you would like more details.

Dr. Siegelman and Dr. Ng prioritize your health and safety. We have a multilayered approach to keep everyone that steps into our office protected. Please let us know if you have any questions; we will gladly review all the precautionary measures our office has in place. We are here to help! Call our office at (212) 974-8737 or fill out a Contact Form here if you would like additional information or to schedule an appointment. We are your home for safe dental care in NYC.

Patient Testimonial

“Dr. Siegelman and his entire team are amazing. The entire experience from the moment you walk through his doors to the moment you leave is beyond amazing. I have now been a patient for a little over 1 year and don’t plan to leave. If you are worried about coronavirus and going to a dentist, I think his office is more clean and germ-free then anywhere in NYC. He has installed special lights all throughout the office that kill germs, great air circulation, air purifiers everywhere, and some larger scale germ eliminating equipment. The woman who cleaned my teeth was gentle and was constantly checking in on me. If you have dental anxiety I can 100% promise you that you will feel at complete ease and comfort. Thank you to the entire team for making each and every visit of mine a smooth one! Keep up the great work! – M.B.

What is the extraoral dental suction system?

This system is an advanced added level of safety for our patients at Dr. Siegelman’s. Our extraoral vacuum provides additional removal of droplets and aerosols produced with dental care. This system features a high volume suction with a medical-grade filtration system that removes particles down to 0.3 microns. We use the system, along with UV light disinfectant, to guarantee that germs will be eliminated, giving our patients from across the five boroughs the peace of mind they need when they come to see us.

What is UVC light, and how does it disinfect?’

UVC stands for ultraviolet C. It is one of three types of invisible light rays given off by the sun. UVC cannot penetrate the Earth’s protective ozone layer. Ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B, on the other hand, do penetrate the ozone layer, and both are known factors in a person developing skin cancer and overall sun damage to the skin.

For sterilization, UVC light penetrates the thin walls of microscopic organisms, destroying nucleic acids. This disrupts the DNA structure of the organisms, either killing the organisms outright or rendering them unable to reproduce, which makes them harmless.

Does UVC light kill bacteria and viruses immediately?

Yes, the UVC wavelengths we use at Dr. Siegelmann’s are between 200 and 300 nanometers, making them germicidal. That means they kill or sterilize microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. The UVC energy does this as soon as it comes in contact with the microorganisms.

Is UVC light considered safe?

UVC light is excellent at ruining the genetic material inside pathogens while leaving mammal skin (aka, us humans) relatively unharmed. How is this possible? Unlike UVA and UVB light with longer wavelengths, UVC has too short a wavelength to cut through the Earth’s atmosphere. On human skin, it cannot penetrate the outer two layers of dead skin cells. It is also easily blocked by clothing.

For further safety, we run our mobile UVC tower system when no one is in the room, ensuring there can be no exposure.

What are the benefits of using UVC light to disinfect our offices?

UVC light is very effective at disrupting the makeup of microorganisms, including the coronavirus. The coronavirus has been called a “very fragile virus” by researchers. This is because it has a layer of lipids, a fatty layer that coats the virus itself, and that layer is very easily broken down and disrupted by UVC light, along with other disinfecting measures.

At Dr. Siegelman’s practice, we view our use of UVC light towers as another form of disinfecting power, combined with our manual wiping down of surfaces and sterilizing of all of our equipment. By eliminating or sterilizing these microorganisms, the UVC light adds another layer of protection for our patients.

What bacteria and viruses are UVC disinfection effective against?

This is effective against all sorts of these microorganisms. This is because the high energy from the short-wavelength UVC light is absorbed in the cellular RNA and DNA of these microorganisms, damaging nucleic acids and preventing them from infecting and reproducing. When the microorganism absorbs the UVC light new bonds form between nucleotides, called double bonds or “dimers.” The dimerization of molecules is the most common type of damage to microorganisms.

What is the TB Upper-Air Series?

The Upper-Air Series is made by American Ultraviolet. It is a UVC light fixture that we have installed in each of our treatment rooms and common areas. The flexibility of the Upper-Air Series allows us to make it work for all of our rooms. This system is designed specifically for continuous upper air UVC irradiation that helps decontaminate the environment. These systems have been successfully used to control the spread of airborne microorganisms in hospitals, prisons, clinics, and government buildings since 1960. Our upper-air system fixtures incorporate adjustable louvers that safely direct the UVC energy above the contact level with patients. In our office, these systems are used in conjunction with air sanitizers to improve air quality by reducing viruses, bacteria, and mold spores.

What is the Mobile Room UVC Solution?

Also made by American Ultraviolet, the ARTZ 2.0 (Automatically Reliably Targeting Zero) Mobile Room Germicidal UVC Solution is used when no one is in the room to disinfect common areas and treatment rooms between patients. We use it as the final step to clean our rooms and surfaces before patients and our team enters a room.

We move the ARTZ 2.0 Mobile system into the room we are disinfecting and activate the system. It delivers balanced and uniform UVC flux to surfaces and the air, disinfecting high-touch surfaces in just a few minutes.

The system also has a safety mechanism that uses 360-degree motion sensors, shutting the system off instantly if the room is entered by a person during the disinfection process.

Contact Us Today

If you’re interested in learning more about infection control and sterilization technology please contact us at (212) 974-8737 or fill out our contact us form below. We will discuss your needs and concerns, and determine your best course of action.

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