Practice Tips has been hitting thousands of e-mail inboxes since July of 2008 - here are the first half of our Top 10! These are not only the tips that are most frequently viewed, but also the tips we most commonly refer our customers to. These tips help resolve trouble you are having in the dental office.
#10 — Recommended Tools for Repairing and Maintaining Equipment
Going back to the beginning, our second issue of Practice Tips consists of a list of helpful tools to have on hand to make sure you can keep your equipment running and reduce down time. The list includes a mix of basic hand tools, as well as some specialty tools and dental instruments used for equipment repair and maintenance.
Did you know: A stethoscope helps you hear noises in your equipment that you might not be able to hear normally? Knowing where a noise comes from assists you in determining what needs fixing or not.
#9 — Operatory Light Troubles
Issue #103 proves to be immensely popular and helpful with our dentists. This issue covers the basics of trouble-shooting operating lights that won’t light. Hint: it isn’t always the bulb.
Did you know: A malfunctioning light switch could be caused by a disinfectant solution. This affects the wiring or internal switch mechanism. Issue #103 covers all the other possibilities as well.
#8 — Pneumatics
Next on our list are actually two posts: #3 and #73. Both issues discuss the basics of pneumatics and how dental delivery systems work. They provide a quality foundation upon which to build your knowledge of dental equipment.
Did you know: The golden rule for air and water pressure is 2:1? Having the correct pressure in your dental unit is important to the proper function of your equipment.
#7 — Handpiece Maintenance
Handpieces for every day use in the dental office and are vital instruments in performing dentistry. Inadequate maintenance is the #1 cause of high-speed handpiece failure and linked to overheating and patient burns by the FDA. It is important to keep up on your maintenance. Our issue #65 covered the simple steps necessary to keep your handpieces running well.
Did you know: You should be cleaning your handpiece after every patient and prior to sterilization? Flush your handpiece with lubricant until clean lube comes out. This ensures all the debris has been cleared out before autoclaving.
#6 — Air/Water Syringes
We’ve had many issues of our Practice Tips newsletter dedicated to the humble air/water syringe. Issues #12 and #13 stress the importance of maintenance and repair of these dental equipment work horses.
Did you know: If your dental syringe leaks, it could be due to a bad button? Compare your buttons to our photos to find a match.
Hopefully you learned a few things or were reminded of the importance of proper dental repair and maintenance. Next month we round out the list with the final top 10, so stay tuned for more of the best of Practice Tips.
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