Health Safety Protocols

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

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!

Why the Dentin Inside Your Teeth is so Important

Posted on 1/20/2018 by Dr. Andrew Zeiger

We always hear about enamel, but we never hear about dentin and why it is so important for your teeth. What is dentin? Why is it so important for the protection of your teeth? Dentin is the living tissue underneath the enamel of your teeth.

It is what makes up most of your teeth and when it starts to wear away, this is when tooth sensitivity starts to happen. If you have ever wondered why some things are making your teeth hurt more when they never did before, it is most likely because the dentin under the enamel is starting to expose.

Facts About Dentin

Have you ever wondered why your teeth start to turn yellow? It is the exposure of the dentin. Dentin is yellow in color and once your teeth start to turn yellow, you know the dentin is exposed. The dentin is located under the enamel of the crown and under the cementum in the root.

The enamel is what makes your teeth white and the dentin that makes them turn yellow once it starts to expose. If you do not brush properly, floss regularly, or visit your dentist for checkups and regular cleanings, the dentin will start to expose and your teeth will turn yellow.

Dentin Repairs Itself

Dentin can repair itself because the cells it is made from, called odontoblasts, stay viable even after the teeth start coming up in your mouth. The good thing about dentin is that if it starts to wear away, another layer appears for your mouth.

Although this may seem like a good thing, try to care better for your teeth because although dentin can repair itself, your enamel cannot and once it starts to wear away, it is gone for good.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call us at (928) 277-0076 today.

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Bradshaw Family Dental
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Prescott Valley
7136 East Pav Way
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
(928) 277-0076

Prescott
172 E Merritt St.
Suite F
Prescott, Arizona 86301
(928) 443-1200

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 / 1/18/2025 / Key Phrases: dentist Prescott Valley /