The Markiewicz Dental Difference

WE ARE COMMITTED TO CONTINUOUS LEARNING

The science and art of dentistry is evolving rapidly. To provide our patients with the best care, our doctors and team regularly attend Continuing Education. Our Doctors are affiliated with two of the most prestigious dental institutes; Spear Education and The Pankey Institute. Both our dentists are members of the Academy of General Dentistry with Dr. Anthony Markiewicz being one of less than 6% of dentists who have earned a Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD). Dr. David Markiewicz has achieved several awards for his commitment to advanced training.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO UPDATED TECHNOLOGY

We are one of the select general dental practices that utilize Cone Beam CT technology, Intra-oral scanning, digital smile design, and Operating Microscopes. These are advanced technologies primarily utilized by dental specialists. Very few general dentists can offer this level of advanced care. Cone Beam CT technology and use of the microscope are becoming the standard of care in implant placement and endodontics. You should expect nothing less from your dental care provider.

WE HAVE ASSEMBLED A MULTI-DISCIPINARY TEAM

Modern Dentistry can be complex, requiring a team of specialists. We have assembled a team of outstanding specialists. Whether care requires advanced Oral Surgery, Endodontics, Orthodontics, Periodontics, or a OMF Radiologist, we have relationships with experienced specialists with whom we can coordinate your dental care.

WE USE THE HIGHEST QUALITY UNITED STATES BASED DENTAL LABORATORIES

At Markiewicz Dental of Mundelein, we use only the highest quality local dental laboratories. Because we care for your health, we also require our laboratories to certify the materials used in the restorations we place. We use only high noble metals in crowns and bridges and use sophisticated crowns such as zirconia and e.max (nonmetal/ all ceramic crowns). You will never find any toxic materials in crowns or bridges or any prosthesis that we place in your mouth.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO SAFEGUARDING YOUR HEALTH

Two common patient concerns are infection control radiation exposure from dental X-rays, so let’s discuss these.

INFECTION CONTROL

The COVID-19 pandemic has sharpened our focus on our infection control practices. Our office has always been committed to an environment which protects the health and wellbeing of our patients and team members by adhering to an extremely robust infection control program. We value the trust you show in our office and want to reassure you we strive to exceed the guidelines for sterilization and patient protection from the American Dental Association and the CDC. Our philosophy has always been and will always be “to treat our patients as if they were our own family members.”

We are continually updating our protocols based on developing guidelines. Here are some of updates we have made in response to the pandemic:

We have invested in air handling systems to improve air quality.

• We invested in an upgraded HVAC/ventilation system to improve air quality by increasing fresh air intake and exhausting air directly from each treatment room directly outside (often known as negative flow or negative pressure). These systems are usually only found in hospitals.
• We have invested in “medical grade” HEPA air filtration units with UV-c.

What we have always done:

• Our philosophy is: If it cannot be heat sterilized, use disposable. The best method of sterilization is autoclaving. The process utilizes steam pressure to kill bacteria and viruses. If an item cannot withstand the extreme heat and pressure of an autoclave, we attempt to use disposable items. Those few items that are not disposable and cannot be autoclaved are covered with a disposable barrier and wiped clean with a surface disinfectant after use.
• For sterilization to be effective, instruments must be clean. All used instruments are first washed and sanitized in our Hydrim instrument washer system. After a 26-minute wash cycle, the instruments are clean, dry, and sanitized. They are now ready for the autoclave.
• Our dental handpieces are cleaned, flushed, and lubricated in our automated handpiece maintenance system. Once the cycle is complete, the handpieces are ready to be sterilized.
• We verify sterilization of each tray with a sterilization integrator. Every tray and pack contain an integrator that verifies sterilization prior to patient use. We also complete weekly spore testing utilizing a third-party testing lab. Each week, we submit a test to a monitoring service to verify the effectiveness of our autoclave.
• Dental unit waterlines can be a source of infection. Each of our dental units is equipped with a closed water bottle system. These systems allow us to treat and flush the units to prevent build-up of potentially dangerous biofilms. Our dental unit waterlines are protected with Sterisil filters and Bio-bottles.
• Our treatment rooms are sanitized after each patient. Before you enter our examination and hygiene rooms, all surfaces, including the dental chair, dental light, drawer handles, X-rays sensors and unit, computer and mouse, and countertops, have been cleaned and decontaminated and fresh disposable barriers placed.
• All our dental team members involved in contact with patients always wash their hands before and after each patient and use only fresh gloves.
• Our team members wear fresh isolation gowns to reduce any risk of infection.
• To reduce post-operative discomfort and reduce the spread of colds and viruses, we request each patient complete two 20 second mouths rinse prior to treatment. The rinse significantly reduces the bacteria and viruses found in the office air and on exposed surfaces.

SAFETY OF DENTAL X-RAYS

To provide the highest level of safety for our patients, we follow the ALARA principle. ALARA is an acronym for As Low As Reasonably Achievable. An essential part of dental care, radiographs provide necessary diagnostic and treatment information unavailable by any other method.

We utilize the most current methods to reduce radiation exposure:

• We utilize digital imaging to help reduce radiation
• We have invested in high quality equipment, which allows us to customize the type of image we need, thus allowing for lower dose imaging when possible
• We utilize protective aprons
• We only obtain radiographs when necessary

EMERGENCY

We recognize that emergencies do occur. Our office phone number is answered 24 hours a day by a team member or our voicemail system informing you of how to reach the doctor on call. If one of our doctors is unavailable, you will be given instruction on how to reach the dentist covering emergencies for Markiewicz Dental. We provide special priority status for you or any family member who has been seen during the previous year in our practice.

QUESTIONS

Our team members are well trained and dedicated to make a difference for each and every person we are privileged to serve. No question is too small or insignificant for us to answer. Please give us feedback as your opinions and ideas are very important to us.

CONTACT US

Please browse through our website for more detailed information on the services that we offer. To schedule an appointment, simply contact our office to schedule an appointment online or request an appointment and one of our team members will be in touch shortly thereafter.

Contact us to get started at the Markiewicz Dental. We look forward to meeting you and helping you achieve a beautiful and healthy smile.