Running a dental office takes a lot of work, and whether it’s a private practice or part of a dental service organization (DSO), finding ways to save time, maximize efficiency, and see more patients is a universal objective. Although all practices are different and face unique challenges, one common issue is optimal instrument management.
The sterilizer is a key component of any dental practice’s infection prevention procedures. After cleaning instruments to remove any residues or heavy contamination using other tools, such as automatic cleaners, it’s the sterilizer that does the heavy lifting of neutralizing infectious microorganisms and readying instruments for recirculation.
For decades, dental professionals have known microorganisms were colonizing the waterlines of their dental units. Ample evidence shows the narrow tubing, low flow rates, and frequent stagnation periods found in water delivery systems create the ideal metropolis for biofilms. These slimy mats of bacteria cling to the walls of the plastic tubes, sloughing off countless individual organisms into the water as it passes by.
Ask any dentist about their infection prevention program, and they’re likely to express confidence that they’re fully compliant with all relevant regulations. But is that really the case? The slow drip of infection prevention breach stories making news around the country would suggest that compliance is more of an issue than some would like to admit.
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In the modern world of dentistry, the status quo is no longer an option. To grow and be successful, dental professionals need to continually improve their practices by asking themselves, “What can we do better?” And as they look to the coming year, there are certain areas of improvement they all want to focus on.
Have you reviewed your 401K performance this year? Have you taken the time to go through all of your credit cards to see which ones have the highest interest rate and should be eliminated? Have you sworn off ever shopping at IKEA because you dread the process of clearing your head so you can fully immerse yourself in the instructions for how to put that 19-piece bench together? Just reading those statements probably made your palms start to sweat a bit, right?
If you've ever watched the reality television show Dirty Jobs, you've probably concluded that dirty jobs are fun to watch or learn about, but not to do. However, these so-called "dirty jobs" play vital roles in society, keeping a world on the move going. When you think about it, especially on a microscopic level, instrument reprocessing is a dirty job, too, with countless microbes and organic debris being removed from the surfaces of instruments.
Diving into a few myths around scalers and looking at how sharks can help surface some truths.
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