Orthodontist License Suspended

NH Dental Board suspends orthodontitst’s license and issues health alert – Possible Blood Borne Pathogen Risk in a Manchester Orthodontic Practice

Orthodontists are going to experience increased State Dental Board inspections as a result of this incident.  State Dental Boards increased inspections last year after the State of Oklahoma notified 7000 patients of potential HIV, HCV and HBV infections at Dr. Harrington’s oral surgery practice due to improper instrument sterilization and multiple Infection Control breaches.

News videos clips such as WCBV’s – New Hampshire orthodontist suspended after claims he put patients at risk  and the New Hampshire health alert focus patient’s and dental board’s attention on instrument sterilization and infection control in orthodontic practices.

Do your orthodontic patients see sterile instrument packages when visiting your practice?  Now is the time to review your instrument sterilization system and infection control training.  Don’t wait for a patient to comment about an infection control breach or lack of sterile instrument packs.

Take a pro-active approach and plan an Instrument Sterilization Tune-Up  for your orthodontic practice.

  • Review State Dental Board Infection Control Standards
  • Improve Instrument Sterilization System to meet Standards
  • Provide Clinical IC and Sterilization Training

Learn more about a Sterilization Tune-Up for your practice or call 949-842-1747 now.

New Disease MERS Makes Media Headlines

In rare move, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recently published a CDC Health Advisory for the United States: Confirmed Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Case in Indiana, 2014.

Dental and orthodontic practices should be aware of MERS as an emerging disease even though the risk is low for infection in the oral health environment.  The diagnosis of the first United States MERS infection will be in the news and dental patients will have a heightened awareness of disease transmission risks in all environments.   Your practice’s up-to-date infection control program and sterile instrument packages provide reassurance to your patients for safe care and concern for patient well-being.

Review your infection control protocols and if you need a checklist for your IC review, please either contact me or give me a call me at 949-842-1747.

Dental Handpiece Cleaning and Maintenance

Handpiece Cross Section

Dental handpieces are expensive!  Proper cleaning and maintenance ensure performance and extend the life of handpieces.  Are you cleaning and maintaining your handpieces correctly?  Providing training for your clinical team can be a challenge.  I found good instructional video on handpiece cleaning and maintenance.
Dental Handpiece Maintenance Video

This video demonstrates proper manual cleaning and lubrication.  Handpiece maintenance and performance can be improved by using an automated handpiece cleaning and lubrication machine such at a Statmatic.  Automated cleaning and lubrication standardize the process and save time for the clinical team.

Review your systems for handpiece maintenance – ensure excellent performance with proper maintenance and training.