It’s no secret that dental equipment is expensive. This is especially true for equipment that is quite new and a little bit more advanced, which is why you should definitely do proper research to know how to properly take care of your dental equipment.
You should always read the manual whenever you buy a new type of dental equipment, however, not everything can be found in these manuals. Below, we will discuss a few useful ways to keep your dental equipment properly maintained so your medical centre fit-out instruments will be well worth it.
Keep Them Pre-Soaked
You probably do not have enough time to clean every single equipment right after using them, especially if you have a couple of patients to attend to. However, biological debris such as blood and saliva can easily harden on your equipment, which can be quite difficult to remove later on.
To prevent the debris from hardening, make sure to pre-soak your equipment in enzymatic spray gels before actually cleaning them up. This way, you are getting rid of the debris while attending to another patient.
Clean Them Before Steaming
Make sure to scrub the equipment out before putting them into the steamer. The system might not be able to fully remove the debris out, which can lead to rusty equipment. Additionally, your other patients might also contract an infection if your equipment is not thoroughly cleansed, which is why it is important to always make sure that every single equipment is free of dirt and debris.
Keep it Dry
If you want to keep your instruments free from bacteria and moisture, then it would be best to keep them dry at all times. Make sure to wipe them dry after steaming or washing them before putting them back on your rack. Bacteria, mold, and mildew tend to stick to moist equipment more, and if you allow this to happen, then you are increasing the chances of your equipment getting contaminated. This can cause infections and disease to spread from one patient to another, and you definitely would not want this to happen.
Keep them Properly Packaged
Before actually putting the instruments inside the steriliser, you should remember to wrap them up in pouches. These pouches should be tightly sealed to prevent unwanted exposure from the air. You can use an autoclave wrap to allow the sterilisation agent to penetrate deep into the equipment. This can also withstand the sterilisation’s steam, which can be pretty harsh to the equipment themselves.
Do Not Overload your Steriliser
If you want to keep both your instruments and your steriliser working properly, then it would be best not to overload the steriliser. Make sure to load batch by batch and avoid putting everything all at once, no matter how tempting it is. Also, if you do overload it, then chances are the equipment will not be properly cleaned.
A lot of dentists do not follow these steps anymore, as most of them usually lack the time to actually sterilise their equipment after each use. Make a difference by actually following these tips and keeping your equipment safe and your patients safer!
