We saw a new dentist today. He was very good with our young PA son. But I noticed before the exam he cleaned his hands with a waterless hand sanitizer and I wanted to ask him to wash his hands with soap and water but didn't know if that would be better, or to ask him to wear gloves, or what - so I didn't do anything and we didn't have a reaction or anything. I kind of worry about this because his hands were in my son's mouth, and also in some other kids' mouths before that. I'm thinking of calling the dentist's office to find out if he would use gloves or do a soap and water wash if we requested that, but I wonder what is the best method to use to ensure clean hands for our exam? If he doesn't normally work with gloves I would not want to ask him to do so. I used to do alot of work with gloves and found it easier to do a more precise job without gloves. Of course, not having an anaphylactic reaction trumps having a filling or two fall out, but I just want to find the right balance here.
What do your dentists do to make sure their hands are clean before touching your mouth?
