Month: March 2017

The Points Which You Need to Know of Dental Air Compressor

Making it through dental school is a rigorous journey, but like any other career path, things only get more difficult after you graduate. Therefore, you should always try to make things easier for yourself by investing in the right kind of durable and dependable equipment.

Among all of the dental tools and equipment that you will need in your dental office, there are a few select items that you simply cannot go without. Dental air compressors are essential for performing some of the most routine tasks in dentistry, and handheld dental x-ray unit has become a staple of today’s offices.

When looking for compressed air for your dental practice it is important that you get the best possible air quality and that your dental compressor provide you with the air you need to operate your practice. As a dentist you focus is on the patient and you just want know that you buy the best solution for your dental business.

Dental compressor suppliers often simplify all this and just tell how many users a compressor will support. This is helpful, but you must check the duty cycle and actual flow to ensure you’re getting what you expect. Product literature may state pump displacement but not true capacity, which is a combination of actual volume output, duty cycle, and tank size.

When developing our air compressors for dental professionals we set out to understand your exact needs. We are confident that our dental air compressors meet the needs for the industry. Our dental compressors are Class 0 certified air quality, 100% oil-free compressed air, they are easy to operate and has a low levels of noise ranging from 53dB(A) to 65dB(A). As a dentist it is important to have a reliable source of dental air at all times, you cannot afford downtime, which is why we have designed our dental air product to have maximum reliability.

About 74% of adults believe that an unattractive smile can hurt their career success, and 100% of dentists should know that they cannot restore a smile without the right kind of equipment. One of the most basic and essential tools for dentists is a dental air compressor. When investing in dental air compressors, you need to evaluate the specific needs of your office. Dental air compressor oil free require very little maintenance and are less expensive than lubricated compressors, but you may be inclined to opt for lubricated versions for a variety of reasons.

 

Paying Attention on the Transport of Dental Instruments

A cleaning and sterilization process that meets ADA and CDC guidelines is vital to an effective infection control program. Streamlining of this process requires an understanding of proper methods, materials, and devices. Many methods of instrument reprocessing are available.

Use of a complete system that encompasses and fulfills all elements that are critical maximizes efficiency and minimizes risks. Closed cassette systems provide a more efficient and safer way to process, sterilize by dental autoclave and organize instruments in a dental office – these eliminate manual steps during instrument reprocessing such as hand scrubbing and time-consuming sorting of instruments, thereby improving safety and increasing efficiency.

Most dental offices have a designated area for instrument reprocessing that is separate from the dental treatment room. This is ideal, since cleaning, sterilizing and storing instruments in the same room where the delivery of patient care is provided increases the risk of cross-contamination. The removal and disposal of single-use sharps such as needles, blades, orthodontic wires and glass must be done at the point of use, typically in the dental treatment room.

Some instruments and materials are single-use only. Single-use items should be segregated in the operatory, and those that are sharp or otherwise pose a risk of injury must be discarded into a sharps container. Items without risk, such as a saliva ejector, can be thrown into the trash. Finally, the tray or cassette of reusable instruments is taken to the cleaning and sterilization area for processing.

To prevent accidental injury with the contaminated instruments, special handling should be used to transport the instruments to the cleaning and sterilization area. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that, “Contaminated instruments should be handled carefully to prevent exposure to sharp instruments that can cause percutaneous injury. Instruments should be placed in an appropriate container at the point of use to prevent percutaneous injuries during transport to the instrument processing area.”

In addition, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says, “The person handling the instruments through removal, cleaning, packaging and sterilization needs to use heavy-duty gloves to help prevent injury with sharp contaminated instruments.” Although heavy-duty gloves (utility gloves) may feel more awkward than examination gloves, they provide extra protection while handling instruments during the cleaning, rinsing, drying, packaging and sorting procedures that take place during instrument reprocessing. The fine tactile sensitivity needed during dental procedures is not necessary during instrument cleaning and sterilization; therefore, heavy-duty gloves pose no problem in this regard. Additionally, nitrile utility gloves are available in a variety of sizes, allowing a more secure fit.

What’s the Basics of Dental Curing Light

Dental curing light is used for the polymerization of light-cured resin-based materials. In the contemporary world of dentistry, curing lights have become an integral part of all specialties and dental practices. Today, almost all resin composites, dental adhesives and adhesive cements utilize light energy for complete polymerization, which further determines the long-term clinical success of a procedure.

While much attention has been given to the details of diagnosis, preparation and the development of improved adhesives and resins, light curing is often taken for granted. It’s a well-accepted fact that inadequate polymerization of the materials can lead to clinical failures, such as sensitivity, marginal discoloration, fractured restorations and de-bonding issues, making it critical to select an ideal curing light.

Curing lights allow us to initiate the polymerization reaction “on demand” for a vast array of materials. However, there is, perhaps, more misinformation and hype regarding this type of dentist equipment compared to just about anything else we use on a daily basis. Most of these controversies center on how long you have to cure specific types of restorations as well as how deep you can cure specific types of materials.

Both light intensity – or irradiance – and the dental application should factor into a dentist’s decision regarding his or her choice of curing light. For instance, irradiance is measured by calculating power output, or milliwatts (mW), of a curing light across the surface area of the curing light guide. A curing light must deliver a minimum irradiance of 400mW/cm2 for a time interval to adequately polymerize a 1.5-2mm thick resin composite.

Clinicians also should consider the clinical application at hand. It has been documented that irradiance of curing lights attenuate/decrease significantly when it passes through restorative materials, such as ceramic restorations or resin composites. The percentage of decrease in irradiance depends on filler type, filler loading, shades, refractive index, opacity, translucency and thickness of restorative materials.

Curing lights with high irradiance compensate for the decrease in the loss of total energy and allow dentists to cure resin composites completely. In general, an irradiance of 1000mW/cm2 or higher is considered ideal to cure resin-based materials through indirect restorations.

 

How to Sterilize the Dental Equipment

Today’s busy dental practices face a serious challenge: to maintain or increase productivity while ensuring that patient safety remains a top priority. At times, these may seem like incompatible goals. Advances in dental equipment, however, have empowered practices to develop safer processes while realizing efficiencies and ultimately, saving money.

A cleaning and sterilization process that meets ADA and CDC guidelines is vital to an effective infection control program. Streamlining of this process requires an understanding of proper methods, materials, and devices. Many methods of instrument reprocessing are available.

Use of a complete system that encompasses and fulfills all elements that are critical maximizes efficiency and minimizes risks. Closed cassette systems provide a more efficient and safer way to process, sterilize and organize instruments in a dental office – these eliminate manual steps during instrument reprocessing such as hand scrubbing and time-consuming sorting of instruments, thereby improving safety and increasing efficiency.

Sterilization by dental autoclave in dentistry is very important, and dentists and dental assistants typically clean and disinfect most surfaces in a their offices and treatment rooms to help prevent the spread of germs.

Disposable dental supplies are also used whenever possible. Tools that are not disposable are generally scrubbed by hand and placed in a machine known as an autoclave. This machine then disinfects the tools by spraying them with very high-pressure steam, which kills most micro-organisms. Any tools that can not be subjected to high heat or moisture are usually disinfected with chemicals.

Disposable dental tools and supplies are some of the most important items when it comes to sterilization in dentistry. Some disposable dental supplies include bibs and masks wrapped in sterile packaging. Once these are used with one patient, they are simply thrown away.

Tools that can’t be thrown away, such as dental drills, are generally put through a very intensive dental sterilization process. First they are usually vigorously scrubbed by hand. This is usually done with hot water and detergent, and it helps remove any large particles, such as plaque. They may also be placed in a vibrating tray filled with cleaning solution, which can help remove very small particles.

 

 

 

The Safety Concerns about Dental Air Polisher

Three safety concerns regarding use of the air polisher appear in the dental literature including that of the patient, the operator, and others in the treatment room. Patient concerns include systemic problems from absorption of the sodium bicarbonate polishing powder, respiratory difficulties from inhaling aerosols that contain oral microorganisms( intraoral camera usb ), stinging of the lips from the concentrated spray, and eye problems from the spray entering the patient’s eyes, especially if contact lenses are worn. Some of these problems could be addressed by coating a patient’s lips with a protective lubricant, using the appropriate technique, removing contact lenses, wearing safety glasses, and placing a protective drape over the patient’s nose and eyes.

Due to the possible absorption of sodium bicarbonate powder through the oral mucosa, use of the air polisher generally has been contraindicated when the patient’s medical history lists: a low sodium diet, hypertension, respiratory illness, infectious disease, renal insufficiency, Addison’s disease, Cushing’s disease, metabolic alkalosis, or certain medications, such as mineralocorticoid steroids, antidiuretics, or potassium supplements.

Despite these warnings, limited information has been published on the systemic effects of sodium bicarbonate absorption from air polishing powder. Air polishing for five minutes can cause a slight disruption of the acid/base balance, but serum ph does not remain at a dangerous level if the body’s buffering system functions properly. Only one subject’s venous blood was evaluated in this uncontrolled pilot inquiry and hyperventilation was the cause of the alkalosis, not the air solemnities.

In addition, no statistical analysis was done to rule out changes occurring solely by chance. Conflicting findings were reported in a later study. Following a five-minute exposure with an air polisher, no significant changes in the arterial blood supply of ten mongrel dogs was found for sodium, bicarbonate, ph, and other electrolytes. Potassium levels showed a change that was not clinically significant. In addition, arterial blood was thought to be more suitable for examining electrolyte changes than the venous blood used in the previous study. More research regarding the air polisher’s safety is recommended.

A very specific balance between acids and bases is important to maintain, usually by means of a complex system of controls within the body. Some individuals cannot readily adjust to disturbances to this balance. It is for this reason, due to the potential absorption of sodium bicarbonate by the oral mucosa, that air polisher manufacturers caution against their use with such patients. Clearly, more research with human subjects is needed to resolve this absorption issue.

An aerosol-reduction device (Safety Suction, Periogene, Ft. Collins, Colorado) has been shown to be effective in reducing aerosols produced by dental ultrasonic scalers. Another device is now available for use with air-polishing systems, and in-vitro and in-vivo studies currently are investigating its ability to reduce aerosols.