Sterilisation and infection control
The instrument cycle at Care Dental Experts, written out in full, so you can ask us about any step of it.
Every reusable instrument at Care Dental Experts goes through scrubbing, ultrasonic cleaning, drying, pouching and steam autoclaving before it reaches a patient. Pouches are dated and opened in front of you. Needles, blades, gloves, suction tips and cups are single-use and discarded after one patient.
The instrument cycle, step by step
Chairside separation
Used instruments go straight into a covered holding solution. Sharps go into a puncture-proof container at the chair, never into a general bin.
Scrubbing and ultrasonic cleaning
Gross debris is scrubbed off, then instruments go through an ultrasonic bath. Sterilisation cannot work through a layer of debris, so cleaning is not an optional first step.
Rinsing and drying
Instruments are rinsed and dried completely. Moisture trapped in a pouch compromises the sterilisation cycle.
Pouching and dating
Instruments are sealed in sterilisation pouches with a chemical indicator strip and marked with the cycle date.
Steam autoclaving
Pouched instruments are autoclaved. The indicator strip changes colour when the correct temperature, pressure and hold time have been reached.
Sterile storage
Pouches are stored closed and dry, and are opened only at the chair, for you.
Handpiece handling
Handpieces are externally disinfected, internally purged and autoclaved between patients, not merely wiped.
Surface and waste protocol
Chair, light handles, delivery unit and worktops are disinfected between patients. Waste is segregated into colour-coded bins for authorised biomedical collection.
Single-use only, discarded after one patient
- Needles and anaesthetic cartridges
- Scalpel blades
- Suture material
- Gloves and masks
- Saliva ejectors and suction tips
- Patient bibs and cups
- Prophy cups and brushes
- Impression material and mixing tips
Asking to see the autoclave, or asking for your instrument pouch to be opened in front of you, is a normal request in a well-run clinic. If any dental clinic anywhere reacts badly to it, that reaction tells you something useful.
Common questions
Can I ask to see the instruments being opened?
Yes. Ask, and the pouch will be opened in front of you. This is a reasonable request and no patient should feel awkward making it.
Are the needles and gloves new?
Needles, scalpel blades, suture material, saliva ejectors, gloves, masks, cups and bibs are single-use and discarded after one patient. They are never reprocessed.
What happens to the waste?
Dental waste is segregated at the chairside into colour-coded bins under the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules and collected by an authorised handling agency. Sharps go into puncture-proof containers. Extracted teeth and amalgam are handled separately from general waste.
Want to see the sterilisation area before you book?
Come in during clinic hours and ask at reception. No appointment needed to look around.
