Monthly Archives: April 2023

Dentists use dental dams as a barrier to isolate specific teeth or oral tissues during certain dental procedures.

The dental dam acts as a barrier to prevent saliva, blood, and other bodily fluids from interfering with the dentist's view and access to the tooth or oral tissue being worked on.

It is no secret that dental clinicians work hours upon hours under the armor of personal protective equipment. For educational facilities and some dental offices, the pandemic PPE layers were not new protocols. For others, it was a novel approach to the safe practice of dentistry.

Are all these layers still required post-pandemic? Why had educational facilities and some offices already expanded their PPE wardrobe before the pandemic?

Dental burs are essential tools used in dentistry to remove and shape tooth and bone structures. Burs come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and materials, each designed for specific dental procedures. Understanding the different types of dental burs and their uses is essential for dental professionals to perform safe and effective procedures.

As dental professionals, it is not new news that enamel falls prey to constant demineralization.  In the Enamel 101 of dentistry, we learned the fact that hydroxyapatite can be attacked by acids and break down if there is not a remineralization balance.  The ideal balance is to stop acid attacks period. 

Writing an IPAC Manual has its challenges. It's not as easy as it seems, as there are many factors to consider before you can call it complete. The following is a list of frequently asked questions, and responses from maxill's own dental educator extraordinaire, Michelle Aube-Simmonds, RDH.   

In dentistry, managing infection control is essential to ensure patient safety and prevent the spread of disease. One of the most important tools in preventing the spread of infection in dental procedures is the high-volume evacuator (HVE). In this article, we explore how HVEs work, the benefits, and how they are used to control the spread of infection and assist with dental procedures.

What is HVE?

HVE is a dental tool that features a large, flexible tube connected to a powerful suction system within a dental office, used to remove fluids and debris from a patient's mouth during dental procedures. The HVE is used in conjunction with other dental instruments, such as handpieces and rotary instruments, to provide a clean and safe working environment for

Should Leadership be Taught in Dental School Curriculums?

Absolutely!  The dentist running a practice must be the ‘scientist’ in dental sciences and deliver quality care. Also, the dentist has to be a ‘business’ savvy individual to ensure the practice’s financial health. What else does the dentist need to be … the team ‘coach’. 

It is either the dentist’s role or if the office has an office manager, it may fall upon the manager.  Nonetheless, it’s a reality that hand-in-hand with being a practice owner comes leadership.  So where does a practice owner ‘learn’ leadership? 

It would be fantastic along with DENT 3055 there would be a Leadership 101 course that teaches the practice owner how to navigate the various dynamics of a team to develop and strengthen that team. 

Does every office need a DUWL program?

This can be answered by the equipment the office has.  There are two types of water delivery systems in a dental office:  direct municipal and closed bottle systems. 

The direct municipal has no bottle and is only required to purge the DUWL on opening, closing, and between clients. 

However, a closed water system as per the MIFU of the manufacturer of the dental chair or bracket table with the attached bottle, states a program is required to include cleaning, disinfecting, and testing. 

At this point, a retrofit from municipal to closed is not mandated.  It is important to note that offices do not get confused with the word municipal … if the office uses tap water in their closed bottle system that is not considered m

July 1976 at the American Legion Convention at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Legionnaires was named and identified as the cause of an outbreak of severe pneumonia with 200 cases and 29 deaths (3) (5).  The outbreak was linked to the inhalation of aerosolized contaminated water (3)(5).  A milder infection caused by the same type of Legionella bacteria is called Pontiac fever. Rewinding in time, in 1968 in Pontiac Michigan, Pontiac Fever was named and identified as an outbreak of influenza-like illness, identified by people who worked at & visited the city’s health department and had inhaled aerosols from contaminated water (3). Legionnaires' disease is an acute bacterial disease, causing death in 5% to 30% of cases (4). The Government of Canada’s Legionella site, states the following:

“Cases of Legionnaire’s disease may be difficult to detect because very few of the people exposed to the bacteria get infecte

Spring signifies a time of change where colors are plentiful, and every breath delivers fresh air. Dental professionals should use the energy of seasonal change for their own refueling and restructuring.

It goes without saying, dental offices are busy places and the day-to-day operations do not leave much time in anyone’s schedule to re-organize physical spaces in the office as well as the mental compartments of our process of care circuits when treating clients.

What does physical space re-organizing look like? This would be going around the office and removing ALL clutter. The best way to ‘SEE’ if your office and operatories look cluttered is to take a picture. Play an ‘eye-spy’ game with the picture. What do you see that should not be in the picture?

An Untidy Work Area Equates Uncleanliness