the chair at the dentist office can be riddled with germs

I have seen my dentist hygienist use disinfecting wipes on the chairs, as well as frequently changing gloves and wearing face masks if they are coughing or others are. Z have every confidence in the facility where I receive care. That was not always the case, and that is why I changed to this dentist fifteen years ago. As a social service person for a nursing home, I also had residents into other offices, and most of them did disinfect their chairs and all of their equipment.

Oh my, I never thought of that before. Now I will make sure to tell them I want to see them clean the chair before me or my little sister sits down. Hey thanks for posting this I bet like me alot of people didn't know this and this is great information that doesn't get talked about much.

lol, good point. I bet hardly never. Thanks for the note, next time I will tell the dentist, for what you charge, disinfect my chair. No telling how many germs I'm sitting in.

This kind of scares me. I went to the dentist just this week. I just got over the stomach flu. How many people am I going to infect? My immune system is low right now, how many germs have reinfected me? Maybe I will ask the next time I go in.

I never thought about the terms on a dentist's chair, nor any number of other germs there are in everyday getting around. We don't live in sterilized bubbles, so I'm just grateful for an immune system that deals with my germ-filled environment.

that is a very good point i had never thought about that before but now you come to mention it there must be loadsa germs floating around the place. the profesionals should take more notice of that artical and clean the chairs!

This is a interesting article. Something that I don't think a lot of people think about. I know for a fact that my dentist doesn't wipe off the chair before people sit down. I am sure he doesn't even think of the germs from another person that are still on the chair. I will have to show him this article and see what he thinks about it. I have been going to this dentist for a good piece of time and he is easy going so I am sure he will look at it with a open mind. Thanks for sharing this.

I worked with several dentists as an assistant and with each of them it was policy to have the seats , instruments, instrument holders (what the motorized hand pieces snap into) overhead lamps, cuspidor and spigot all be wiped down with disinfectant. we were very careful with quality control and cautious about cross contamination. before seeing a new dentist I would ask for a tour of their facility and their policies regarding disinfecting and cleaning of instruments and operatories.

I don't know about anywhere else, but at every dentist I've ever been to, they clean the chair with disinfecting wipes between every patient. Those articles you've read are just propaganda to perpetuate the cycle of fear of dentistry. But then again, every office is different, and like restaurants, they all have their own "health score". If you aren't comfortable with them wiping down the counters and chairs and every other surface in the room between every patient, take your own wipes with you and do it yourself.

winterrose i had never thought about that but thats a really good question. I think it should be asked a few times. do you ever disinfect this chair I am sitting on? I wonder if they answer the question. I think it should be wiped down between uses as a matter of course.

I guess I will be carrying me a can of lysol everywhere I go. You would think they would santitize everything.

Hi there, This article shows how much we are exposed to germs in the dentist office..next time i go there, i would ask the doctor if he can do the procedure whilst i stand..lol..

Dentists must comply with OSHA standards, and OSHA randomly inspects offices to prevent things like this happening. Part of cleaning the room up after a patient has been in the room is to clean ever porus surface in the room, including(but certianly not limited to) counters, instruments, both the patient chair and doctor chair, and all cabinets. If your dentist doesnt clean these, they are not complying with OSHA standards and can be fined or even shut down. If you are really that concerned about it, ask the dental assistant to clean the chair in your presence.

I took my kids to my Dentist the other day. I've been going there for over 20 years but I'm worried now! My 16 yr. old Daughter went first. she received a cleaning which as you know the water over sprays everywhere! The Hygentist grabs the over head lamp and continues to work on my daughter. Then goes into the cabinet for floss, and pulls some then tosses it on the counter. My son goes next. same routine but I noticed the chair, cords, counter etc nothing was wiped after my Daughter. Grabbed the floss and pulled some for him. so this means the floss is probably contaminated? not to mention the over spray on the hoses. Now, the lamp has both my kids germs on it and that means next in the chair is going to get their bacteria. This is scary! I heard of a case where a lady caught AIDS from her Dentist!

I took my kids to my Dentist the other day. I've been going there for over 20 years but I'm worried now! My 16 yr. old Daughter went first. she received a cleaning which as you know the water over sprays everywhere! The Hygentist grabs the over head lamp and continues to work on my daughter. Then goes into the cabinet for floss, and pulls some then tosses it on the counter. My son goes next. same routine but I noticed the chair, cords, counter etc nothing was wiped after my Daughter. Grabbed the floss and pulled some for him. so this means the floss is probably contaminated? not to mention the over spray on the hoses. Now, the lamp has both my kids germs on it and that means next in the chair is going to get their bacteria. This is scary! I heard of a case where a lady caught AIDS from her Dentist!