Your Michigan Dental Association dentist goes to extremes to make sure your health and safety are never compromised – even making sure all the water used during your examination is as clean as possible.

Chances are, the water in your dentist’s office comes from the municipal water supply — the same water you drink at home, in restaurants and at school. This water naturally contains microscopic germs that form thin layers on virtually all surfaces, including waterlines in the dentist office.

There are absolutely no documented cases of any illness related to the water coming from dental waterlines. But just to be on the safe side, your dentist uses the following guidelines from the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make the water as hygienic as possible:

• Flush the waterlines with clean water between patients.
• Sterilize dental instruments.
• Install small filters to block the passage of microorganisms to the handpiece where possible.

To be extra safe, your dentist might also choose to disinfect the waterlines with bleach or even use a completely separate water source.

Feel free to ask your family’s dentist what steps he takes to make sure the water he uses is clean and safe. These extra precautions are just one more example of how your Michigan Dental Association dentist works to keep your family smiling on.