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!

Dental Sealants

Dental Sealants provided by Our Expert Dentists in Prescott Valley, AZ at Bradshaw Family Dental

Girl getting dental sealants at her Family Dentist

Your teeth have their topography of hills and valleys in them, making them extremely prone to tooth decay in these tiny little crevices. Despite taking care to brush and floss daily, your teeth can still be vulnerable to tooth decay. Your dental fissures can be hard to keep clean, and plaque and bacteria can build up inside them. To help prevent tooth decay from forming in the fissures in your molars, we here at Bradshaw Family Dental like to paint them with a special type of material known as dental sealant.

What Are Dental Sealants And Are They It Worth It?

In a perfect world, a good oral hygiene regimen would be all you need to prevent tooth decay. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world, which means that despite your best efforts, tooth decay can still form in the presence of brushing and flossing.

We recommend that all of our patients brush their teeth twice a day, for two minutes per session, with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste. However, the fissures in the back of your teeth can be even smaller than the bristles on your toothbrush. Despite your best effort, cavities can still start to form in these ridges.

Dental sealants are the answer to help to prevent tooth decay from forming in these fissures. Comprised of a plastic material, they are painted directly onto your back teeth. While we occasionally do apply sealants, our younger patients are often better candidates for this procedure, as they are more prone to tooth decay. Children who have sealants are three times less tooth decay than those without sealants!

How It Works

Getting sealants does not hurt at all. We start by carefully cleaning your teeth, then thoroughly drying them off. Next, we will gently etch them with an acidic gel to help create a surface that will make it easier for the sealant to adhere. The acid gel will remain on your teeth for a few seconds; then we will rinse it off again. Once again, we will dry your teeth; then we will paint them with the dental sealant. Finally, we will cure the sealant with a specific type of ultraviolet light to help it harden.

Dental sealants are a fantastic investment in your oral health. They are tooth-colored, so they are not noticeable, but their benefits are long-lasting. If you continue to take good care of your teeth, they can last between five to ten years. Eventually, they will wear away, but we can always place them again in the future. Getting sealants are incredibly safe and a routine procedure, making it an excellent option for many of our patients. Just remember that dental sealants are no replacement for taking good care of your teeth; you do still need to brush and floss regularly, even with sealants.

If you suspect that you may have early stages of tooth decay, you are interested in learning more about how dental sealants can help protect your teeth, or you are ready to schedule your appointment at our office here at Bradshaw Family Dental, then please give us a call today at (928) 277-0076!

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Our Family Cares for Everyone in Your Family

FAMILY GRAPHIC2 Bradshaw Family Dental Dentist Prescott AZ DR Zeiger

Get the Smile You've Always Wanted!
Bradshaw Family Dental
& Smile Design Center

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 Sealants - Prescott Valley, AZ • Bradshaw Family Dental
Sealants offer a cost-effective, preventative step to reduce the chances of tooth decay on the chewing surfaces of molars. Click the link to learn more.
Bradshaw Family Dental, 7136 East Pav Way, Prescott Valley, AZ 86314 : (928) 277-0076 : bradshawfamilydental.com : 3/21/2025 : Tags: family dentistry Prescott Valley :