Tuesday, December 1, 2015

ARPD is Environmentally Friendly



We love to help our patients achieve a happy and a healthy smile. To the surprise of most that’s not all that we care about here at ARPD. We care deeply about the overall health of our patients, our staff members and the environment.  Let us tell you how we work hard to do our part to care for each other and the Earth. Here are a few of the things that we do at ARPD that are good for our patients, their loved ones and the planet!

  1. We use germicidal hand wash and hand sanitizers which eliminate, for the most part, the need for paper towels.  This also minimizes water usage. In order to minimize water consumption and still ensure bactericidal cleaning, we’ve installed medical grade hand sanitizers for use by doctors and staff.
  2. We use digital x-rays. Digital x-rays have the advantage of providing images with a minimum of radiation exposure.  Phosphor plates and digital sensors capture the x-ray image and are then converted into a digital image that can be viewed, manipulated, magnified and stored electronically.  Digital x-rays reduce waste by eliminating film and processing chemicals.
  3. We use a nontoxic dental waterline inhibitor to prevent bacterial growth in line and prevent bacterial transfer to patients or staff members.
  4. Our self-contained dental units use distilled and purified water which cuts down on chemicals transferred to the patient or the environment.  Distilled water lacks minerals which enables our dental units and our dental hand pieces to run more cleanly and energy efficiently.
  5. We use microfiber washable towels for cleaning windows and other housekeeping duties in order to cut down on paper waste.
  6. Our suction line cleaner is biodegradable and dissolves dental buildup in the suction lines allowing our vacuum and vacuum pump to work more effectively for our patients and more energy efficiently.
  7. Rather than using plastic or latex barriers for our equipment, we clean and disinfect our chairs and every surface that is touched by the patient, dentist or hygienist before and after every patient and at the beginning and end of every day. 
  8. We use automated thermostats to maintain a comfortable office temperature more energy efficiently for our patients and our staff members.
  9. Our office staff even operates in a "green" manner by practicing several different eco friendly methods. 
        • We regularly contact junk mail senders and request that they remove us from their databases to cut down on mail waste.
        • We shred and recycle all of our office papers.
        • Our office machine cartridges and toners are recycled.
  10. Our office air fresheners are all natural essential oils and are nontoxic and have also been demonstrated to have some antibacterial and antiviral properties making for a healthier and happier dental atmosphere. No ‘dental office smell’ here! 
These are just the top 10 ways we operate environmentally friendly. Our newest way will be when we complete our office Renovation. We plan to improve our carbon footprint per say! 

#gogreen #greenARPD #envirodentist #drrohner #happyhealthy #protecttheearth #onethingatatime