DIRTY STORIES This is a story no one really wants to hear, but we will tell it anyway, and
you will not soon forget it. |
GLOVES Masks and gloves are indispensable when fighting cross-contamination. Never visit a dentist who works without gloves. But when gloves are used incorrectly they only protect the dentist and not you. |
Gloves can be a perfect way to spread bacteria throughout the entire surgery. |
DID YOU EVER HAVE THE NERVE TO LOOK You might get that opportunity if your dentist has to pick up the phone. |
THE HIGH-SPEED DRILL
The high-speed drill or airotor is beyond any doubt the most fearful weapon out of a dentist's armory.
It is air-driven, makes about 400.000 rpm. and produces a dreadful sound. The water used for cooling is heavily contaminated in many dental surgeries. High-speed drills are basically small turbines driven by compressed air. 83.5 % of all dentists interviewed did not clean, sterilise or disinfect these drill heads according to the official guidelines. ( Dutch Healthcare Inspection report " Infection-prevention in Dental Offices May 1998 " )
Cooling- and spray water in dental equipment often contains ten thousand times more micro-organisms than our domestic tap-water. ( visit -links) Later we will discuss the problem of contaminated water in dentistry in more detail. |
THE LOW-SPEED DRILL
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WATER / AIR SYRINGES Water-air syringes can deliver a stream of water, a stream of air or, when combined, an air-water spray. Syringes often contain heaters to produce a comforting warm-water spray. But unfortunately exactly those temperatures in wich Legionella bacteria families thrive. |
CALCULUS REMOVERS
Plaque can be removed by a small vibrating chisel in a process called ultrasonic cleaning. When this cooling water is contaminated it will produce a contaminated spray, just at the gateway to your respiratory system: your mouth. |
COLD-LIGHT
This blue torch is used to harden modern resins like filling-materials and glues.
Its blue light is not really dangerous but you should not look directly at the beam. |