COVID-19 DENTAL OFFICE SAFETY PROTOCOL – LONG ISLAND CITY, NY
Our Commitment to Safety
In response to COVID-19 our team at Jackson Ave Dental have been and always will be prioritizing your safety above all else. We abide by all CDC, OSHA, and ADA guidelines. This is everything that our dentists in Long Island City have done to keep you safe while you get your oral health taken care of in this office.
Our office is fully vaccinated
All members of our team at Jackson Ave Dental have been fully vaccinated and fully boosted from COVID. This includes all of our long island city dentists (Dr Nguyen and Dr Chen), dental hygienist, assistants, and front office staff.
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If new vaccines develop or new boosters are required/released, we will get those as well.
COVID Safety Precautions
Aside from having our staff vaccinated, there are various other safety measures which we've taken to keep you safe from harm while you get the treatment you need. These are in addition to the regular equipment and surface disinfection, which we do after each and every patient. That has always been the standard of care in dentistry. We would never let you sit in an unclean dental chair!
Social Distancing
Our reception area typically only has two people at a time. Our treatment operatories are 10 x 12 feet so you're well distanced from others.
Chlorinated Water
The water supply is chlorinated which helps to kill viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms. This isn't a response to COVID but something that we've been doing since day one.
Hepa Filters
Each room has its own individual air filter.
Fun Fact About Our Office
The building which our dental practice is located in is called The Echelon at 1311 Jackson Ave in Long Island City. They actually hired a third party environmental assessment company to test the air quality that is coming out of our office.
We exceeded the TVOC level
Apparently we exceeded the acceptable TVOC level of less than 500 ug/m3 since ours came in at 880 ug/m3. However, that was because Ethanol and Isopropyl alcohol made up 420 ug/m3 and 380 ug/m3 respectively. That meant rubbing alcohol accounted for 90.9% of the entire TVOC level.
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What are VOCs and TVOCs?
A VOC (volatile organic chemical) is substance that has high vapor pressure but low water solubility, which means that it usually turns into a gas when exposed to air. They're commonly found in paint thinners, nail polish removers and etc. That smell you get when you open the bottle is what a VOC is.
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The TVOC is just a measurement of the total level of VOCs. The recommended safety levels are actually established by US Green Building Council, which grants LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for a green building. Apparently, there are no federal nor state regulations for VOCs.
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VOC levels are still safe by OSHA standards
Even though we technically "exceeded" the TVOC levels, it is still considered safe by OSHA standards.
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Here is information for hazardous substance fact sheet for both ethanol and isopropyl alcohol:
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OSHA workplace limit is 400 ppm for isopropyl alcohol (ours was 150 ppbv which is parts per billion and not million)
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OSHA workplace limit for ethanol is... there is actually no limit for it!
Last but not least, the information was verified by a department of environment protection inspector and determined to be safe.
The conclusion is that you are totally safe to receive treatment at our dental office. However, we do have a tendency to use a lot of rubbing alcohol but that's because we're highly concerned about disinfecting everything as much as possible!