New Year Dental Equipment Maintenance Guide for Practitioners
As the New Year draws closer, it is imperative for practitioners to consider the safety and functionality of their equipment. While clinical responsibilities – such as administrative tasks, inventory, and patient care – are of the highest important, equipment maintenance is considered to be equally important. Not only does this type of maintenance aid in alleviating sudden complications that may hinder your practice in providing patient services, but it aids in helping to ensure that the equipment has a long lifespan. In this New Year dental equipment maintenance guide, you will learn the tasks that should be performed at the end of each work day, during each month, and every year. By putting these tasks in place now, you are sure to have a productive and profitable New Year.
Standard End-of-Day Tasks
To keep your equipment in optimal shape and to ensure the highest level of practice productivity, the following tasks should be completed at the close of each business day:
- A high-quality suction cleaner should be placed and ran through the ejector tubes that suction saliva from the patients’ mouths.
- The delivery traps of the unit should be thoroughly cleaned.
- The ultrasonic-based cleaner should be completely drained and wiped out.
- If there is a water bottle unit present, it should be flushed to ensure that biofilm is successfully removed.
- All systems within the facility should be powered off and the master switch for water delivery should be shut off.
Standard Monthly Tasks
Each month, your facility should complete the following tasks:
- Plaster traps should be thoroughly inspected, cleaned, and – if necessary – replaced.
- Debris should be completely removed from all screens.
- Rubber and plastic components on the units in your facility should be inspected for signs of deterioration. If deterioration is discovered, those components should immediately be replaced.
- The master trap should be cleaned and/or replaced, if need be.
Standard Yearly Tasks
The following activities should be performed once a year – at the very least:
- The seals and gaskets of your equipment should be replaced.
- If there are compressors that are oil-lubricated, the oil should be changed.
- All equipment should be thoroughly inspected, calibrated, and/or certified.
- Dental handpieces should receive thorough maintenance or be completely replaced, depending on need.
- Each member of your facility should receive and complete their OSHA training and any other training required to run, operate, and/or repair machinery within the practice.
Conclusion
While this is a rather generic maintenance outline for dental practitioners, it is a guide that has the capability to save your practice hundreds – possibly even thousands – of dollars. In addition to keeping up on machines and ensuring that they run optimally, these steps also aid in protecting members of your staff and the patients that you service.
If you would like to learn more steps on keeping your practice running optimally, dental handpieces, dental equipment maintenance, repairing equipment, and similar topics, be sure to visit our blog today at the following link: https://hughesdentalrepair.com/blog/
