Question and Answer

Bruxism. It's a word that may sound unfamiliar to many, yet it affects millions of people worldwide. This condition, often referred to as teeth grinding or jaw clenching, can lead to a range of discomforts and dental problems. So, let’s take a look into what bruxism is, explore its causes and triggers, discuss available treatments, and offer practical ways to find relief.

Understanding Bruxism

Bruxism is a habitual, involuntary grinding or clenching of the teeth, typically occurring during sleep. However, some individuals also experience daytime bruxism. It can affect people of all ages, from children to adults, and can lead to various complications if left untreated. Understanding the underlying causes and triggers of bruxism empowers you to seek the appropriate treatments or practices necessary to alleviate its effects.

Dentists use aspirating syringes and non-aspirating syringes to administer local anesthetics to their patients in preparation for pain-free dental treatment. Although many clinicians use non-aspirating syringes, there are benefits to using an aspirating syringe or self-aspirating syringe when administering local.

What is an aspirating/self-aspirating syringe?

To best understand the function of an aspirating syringe, first let’s review what it means to aspirate, medically speaking. Aspiration is the removal of fluids or cells such as blood, pus, ascites, or even cerebrospinal fluid, from the body. Syringes, although widely known for injecting medicine into the body, they now have the capability to aspirate.

The key difference is that an aspirating syringe has a harpoon at the end of the piston rod or plunger, that penetrates t

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.

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.

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

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. 

The question above in the title can be answered by a question… Who has first stated a DUWL system was needed and since when? The manufacturers of the DUWL’s have been the initiating source since the new design of equipment with a closed water system design. The water system is ‘closed’ to outside contamination...

Some provinces require an ACH test and some do not.

Some require adherence to a specific fallow time and some do not.

For the geographical areas that must adhere to a fallow time, the sequence of the operatory turnover and where and when the clinical notes are written is causing some confusion and must be addressed.

A common question is when does the fallow time begin?

The fallow time begins when the clinician and client leave the operatory.

It does NOT begin when the last AGP was performed.

Why?

The reasoning is while the client is still in the operatory conversing with no mask there could be a chance for airborne transmission.

maxill is constantly doing research on any and every topic related to Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC). In the latest news releases, it is now common knowledge that a serious virus, the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), is an evolving situation. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Public Health Sectors, PIDAC, CDC and WHO are all working diligently to ensure the containment of the virus and public awareness for surveillance. As learned from past outbreaks, (SARS) health care providers play a vital role in risk management and assessment. The role of the dental professional is to implement routine screening methods to identify individuals with acute respiratory infections.