Are you a dentist? If you are, you must always use dental equipment that is sterilised with an autoclave dental sterilising machine. While it may not have been immediately apparent to you, sterilising dental equipment is one of the most important aspects of having healthy teeth and gums! So if you’re wondering why you need to sterilise dental equipment and what the benefits are, keep reading!
To Prevent Infections
Dental equipment is expensive and should be protected from contamination. Plus, the more you use an instrument, the higher the risk of infection. That’s why it’s essential to sterilise dental equipment to keep your patients safe. For example, you can safely sterilise instruments in minutes with an autoclave dental unit!
An autoclave dental unit is a closed system that creates high-pressure steam that can penetrate every nook and cranny. The pressure will release once the instruments are thoroughly heated, meaning there’s no need to open or vent the chamber during treatment.
To Kill Harmful Bacteria
Hygienists spend much time during their day sterilising dental equipment. It’s not easy, mainly when many different types of tools exist. No dentist would ever intentionally create a germ-infested environment for their patients. Still, when you’re in the middle of a dental procedure and your equipment is not sterilised, there’s nothing you can do. This means that there’s always the risk of someone contracting an infection from a dentist. And if this seems like something that doesn’t happen often, it’s because it doesn’t. However, when it does happen, it can be severe. Therefore, it is essential never to skip sterilising the equipment.
To Protect Your Patients
The first and most apparent way sterilising dental equipment protects your patients is by preventing infection. This prevents your patients from getting sick with anything that could be transmitted through their mouths, such as the flu, colds, etc. Another significant benefit of sterilising dental equipment is that it can decrease the severity of a patient’s condition. For example, if a patient has an abscessed tooth and you don’t sterilise their dental equipment before they get treated, they will have to go through twice as much pain because there are more bacteria in their mouth than if you had used sterile instruments.
Type of Sterilisation
There are two significant types of sterilisation: chemical and physical. Chemical disinfection uses strong chemicals like chlorine dioxide or sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and is often used when equipment cannot be physically cleaned.
On the other hand, physical disinfection uses dry heat or steam and is often used when the equipment cannot be chemically cleaned. As such, dry heat can be achieved using either an autoclave or a gas oven. Meanwhile, steam can be created using a vaporiser device that heats water until it becomes vaporised and then sprays it onto the surface of the equipment that needs cleaning.
Hospital-acquired infections can be prevented by routinely sterilising your equipment before every procedure, including fillings and cleanings. So if you want your patients to get the best dental care possible, it is essential that you sterilise your dental equipment. It is also crucial for protecting patients from illnesses and infections. Properly sterilising equipment will give you peace of mind in knowing that all your instruments are safe for your next patient. And the most effective way to do this is by using an autoclave which uses steam, heat and pressure to kill bacteria.
