{"id":228,"date":"2020-04-21T17:19:13","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T17:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/?p=228"},"modified":"2020-05-21T17:21:51","modified_gmt":"2020-05-21T17:21:51","slug":"dentists-handwashing-protocol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Your Dentist\u2019s Handwashing Protocol?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-229\" src=\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"dentist in San Antonio washing their hands\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>If you\u2019re worried about visiting your dentist in San Antonio for a checkup and cleaning, there\u2019s no need to fret. Dental offices are some of the safest establishments right now because they\u2019re meeting or exceeding the CDC\u2019s safety guidelines to ensure that their patients and staff remain healthy. One of those precautionary measures is implementing more rigorous hand hygiene rules. Read on to learn more about your dentist\u2019s office handwashing protocols.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Why is Thorough Handwashing Important?<\/h2>\n<p>Even before the emergence of COVID-19, handwashing has been a vital measure to reduce the spread of germs and prevent illness. Now, it\u2019s an even more important practice is said to be one of the key preventive measures of contracting COVID-19 by the CDC. Because your dentist and dental staff will need to treat you while being close to your face, it\u2019s important that they keep their hands as clean as possible at all times and prevent any transfer of germs or bacteria.<\/p>\n<h2>What is Your Dentist\u2019s Handwashing Protocol?<\/h2>\n<p>In any healthcare facility, hand hygiene is the top priority. The best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, in addition to wearing PPE, is to practice good handwashing techniques. This includes these steps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Washing your hands for at least 20 seconds to help reduce the amount of germs.<\/li>\n<li>Being thorough and getting under the nails and both sides of the hands.<\/li>\n<li>Completely drying the hands with a paper towel after washing them has been shown to reduce the microorganisms and bacteria living on hands in moist places.<\/li>\n<li>Avoiding long or fake nails that can easily trap germs and bacteria.<\/li>\n<li>Frequently and regularly washing hands, including before patient contact, before putting on gloves, after removing gloves, each time the treatment room is left, and after any procedure has been conducted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With these rules in place, your dentist and staff will be sure to have clean hands at all time while treating and interacting with you.<\/p>\n<h2>How Can Thorough Handwashing Keep You Safe?<\/h2>\n<p>COVID-19 is contracted when droplets, like saliva, are spread to the mucous membrane (eyes, nose, or mouth). Because your dentist and hygienist are working in this area when they\u2019re cleaning your teeth, applying a filling, or doing any other type of dental treatment, having clean hands and wearing PPE is especially important. This will ensure that no germs or bacteria accidentally get spread to your mouth and the risk of droplet contraction is minimal.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re concerned about visiting your dentist because you aren\u2019t 100 percent sure about what new safety measures they have in place, don\u2019t hesitate to contact their office. Because their top priority is staff and patient safety, you can rest-assured that taking care of your mouth won\u2019t be risking your wellbeing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Racha Kadamani has nearly two decades of experience as a dentist. She is passionate about providing her patients with high-quality dental care that helps them optimize their oral health and preserve their natural smile. She is dedicated to staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in her field by taking continuing education courses every year. For questions or to schedule an appointment, visit Laith Family Dentistry\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/nw-san-antonio.html\">website<\/a> or call 210-782-6842.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re worried about visiting your dentist in San Antonio for a checkup and cleaning, there\u2019s no need to fret. Dental offices are some of the safest establishments right now because they\u2019re meeting or exceeding the CDC\u2019s safety guidelines to ensure that their patients and staff remain healthy. One of those precautionary measures is implementing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dentist in San Antonio | COVID-19 Hand Hygiene | Hand Washing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your dentist in San Antonio is implementing more rigorous hand hygiene precautions to keep you safe. Here\u2019s how your health is being prioritized.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dentist in San Antonio | COVID-19 Hand Hygiene | Hand Washing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Your dentist in San Antonio is implementing more rigorous hand hygiene precautions to keep you safe. Here\u2019s how your health is being prioritized.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Laith Family Dentistry | San Antonio TX | Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-21T17:19:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-21T17:21:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"laithfamily\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"laithfamily\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/\",\"name\":\"Dentist in San Antonio | COVID-19 Hand Hygiene | Hand Washing\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-21T17:19:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-21T17:21:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/72f63b932e2e66e6fdd23c75210d5e13\"},\"description\":\"Your dentist in San Antonio is implementing more rigorous hand hygiene precautions to keep you safe. Here\u2019s how your health is being prioritized.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533,\"caption\":\"dentist in San Antonio washing their hands\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is Your Dentist\u2019s Handwashing Protocol?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Laith Family Dentistry | San Antonio TX | Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/72f63b932e2e66e6fdd23c75210d5e13\",\"name\":\"laithfamily\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc767039761569368d738213d0bd57b4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc767039761569368d738213d0bd57b4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"laithfamily\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/author\/laithfamily\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dentist in San Antonio | COVID-19 Hand Hygiene | Hand Washing","description":"Your dentist in San Antonio is implementing more rigorous hand hygiene precautions to keep you safe. Here\u2019s how your health is being prioritized.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dentist in San Antonio | COVID-19 Hand Hygiene | Hand Washing","og_description":"Your dentist in San Antonio is implementing more rigorous hand hygiene precautions to keep you safe. Here\u2019s how your health is being prioritized.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/","og_site_name":"Laith Family Dentistry | San Antonio TX | Blog","article_published_time":"2020-04-21T17:19:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-05-21T17:21:51+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952-300x200.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"laithfamily","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"laithfamily","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/","url":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/","name":"Dentist in San Antonio | COVID-19 Hand Hygiene | Hand Washing","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2020-04-21T17:19:13+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-21T17:21:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/72f63b932e2e66e6fdd23c75210d5e13"},"description":"Your dentist in San Antonio is implementing more rigorous hand hygiene precautions to keep you safe. Here\u2019s how your health is being prioritized.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AdobeStock_328510304__1590081644_44952.jpg","width":800,"height":533,"caption":"dentist in San Antonio washing their hands"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/dentists-handwashing-protocol\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is Your Dentist\u2019s Handwashing Protocol?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/","name":"Laith Family Dentistry | San Antonio TX | Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/72f63b932e2e66e6fdd23c75210d5e13","name":"laithfamily","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc767039761569368d738213d0bd57b4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc767039761569368d738213d0bd57b4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"laithfamily"},"url":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/author\/laithfamily\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230,"href":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228\/revisions\/230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laithdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}