Monthly Archives: January 2026
-
January 15, 2026
Where Should the Handpiece Docking Station Live: Cleaning or Packaging?
Short answer... the handpiece docking station (lubrication and flushing unit) belongs on the cleaning side (non-sterile / decontamination side), not the packaging side.
Long answer... see below... because this is where audits often get murky.
Framing the Discussion
Before discussing where a handpiece docking station should be located, it is worth pausing to ask a more specific question:
What actually comes after handpiece cleaning and lubrication?
It is easy to assume the answer is packaging.
But that assumption skips a critical step.Cleaning and lubrication do not mean a handpiece is ready to be packaged.
There is a required pause in the workflow: inspection.
Inspection is the moment where the handpiece is deliberately assessed to confirm that internal
-
January 15, 2026
Instrument reprocessing in the dental office does not need to be complicated to be effective. In fact, the simplest workflows are often the safest, especially in today's dental landscape where reprocessing tasks may be performed by individuals without formal dental or infection prevention training.
At the centre of effective reprocessing is a clear, one-way workflow... moving instruments from non-sterile to sterile without confusion, crossover, or unnecessary handling.
Why Language Matters in the Reprocessing Area
During audits, reprocessing spaces are often described using terms such as:
- Decontamination area
- Clean area
- Sterile area
While
