Cleaning, lubricating, and sterilizing the dental handpieces in your practice is not only a necessary measure, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but, it is a measure that will ensure the safety of your staff, the safety of your patients, and will prolong the life of your dental instruments. In this brief guide, you will learn a little about each of these processes. If you do not understand these processes or have questions, we here at Hughes Dental encourage you to visit our website or contact us directly for more information. We offer certified dental handpiece repair and many other services that are designed to keep your dental handpieces performing optimally in the safest manner possible.
Cleaning and Lubricating
All instruments can be wiped down with isopropyl alcohol to remove any blood or external debris. You should avoid dental handpiece cleansing agents that contain disinfectants as they leave a residue that can corrode internal moving parts.
Many manufacturers have lubrication and cleansing stations that you may integrate into your practice that will aid in the cleaning of your dental handpieces.
In order to properly lubricate the dental handpieces in your practice, you should use a specially-designed lubrication station. If this is not accessible to you, you may allow us here at Hughes Dental to suggest such a station or instructions for proper manual lubrication techniques.
Sterilizing Your Dental Handpieces
The proper care and maintenance of your dental handpieces extends past the cleaning and lubrication; it also involves the sterilization of dental instruments. Prior to sterilizing your dental handpieces, it is absolutely imperative that the instruments are thoroughly cleaned and lubricated.
Once this is done, you must sterilize the dental instruments. If you fail to engage in the process of sterilizing your dental instruments, the devices could result in a high level of cross contamination.
All of the handpieces that you elect to use in your practice should be capable of being heated. While it is considered to be time-consuming, the proper sterilization techniques should be applied after each and every single use. You should ensure that when you sterilize your handpieces that you never leave the bur in the chuck.
Further Assistance
As stated previously, here at Hughes Dental Repair, we offer cleaning, lubrication, and sterilization services and supplies. In addition to this, we are all certified in dental handpiece repair. In most instances, your dental handpieces will come with specific instructions on how to clean, lubricate, and sanitize your instrument.
If you find that you require any assistance or any further instructions, simply contact us here at Hughes Dental today.