digital divide network - article database

We all know the importance of oral hygiene, whether from the dutiful nagging of our dentists or those toothpaste ads on TV, and we all try our best to maintain it, especially as this means less trips to the dentist! But, it's not always easy, is it? Sometimes crashing into bed in the early hours takes precedence and our poor teeth sleep neglected, at other times giving our teeth a good scrub with a toothbrush just seems like that little bit too much effort; these are the dentist's biggest dilemma! That's quite possibly why they nag us so much; after all, no one wants rotting teeth! But it seems they have another very good reason to; dental surgeries, when they must be visited, are sparklingly clean, obviously to prevent mouth infections. As part of this, dentists go through huge amount of effort and expense to keep their equipment and instruments clean and sterile, far more effort than it takes to brush one's teeth.

To demonstrate their pains, I shall run you through the basics of dental cleaning. Firstly, all dental instruments, false teeth, gloves etc. that might go anywhere near someone's mouth must be sterilised. This is not just a case of throwing them in antibacterial cleaning solution or boiling water and giving them a good scrub, this requires an 'autoclave', basically a small type of pressure cooker worth thousands of pounds, which uses pressurised steam, controlled at set temperatures, to kill any living thing present on the instruments etc. Adaptations of these highly sophisticated machines which sit next to all the dental instruments in the surgery are also used to sterilise instruments after each patient has been seen, to do this in such a short time period is quite a technological (and expensive) feat!

Just as we're thinking that dentists have it easy and that these machines will clean everything for them, we come to all the different sprays, rotating brushes and disinfectants that need to be administered to all sorts of equipment by hand. Many of the instruments themselves contain tiny motors which need cleaning and maintenance, as well their heads which spend most of the time investigating our teeth, usually completed by hand using tiny special rotating brushes and lubricating cleaning solutions; all this is on top off the regular steaming they receive.      

That's not it either. All of the suction lines and the mouthwash bowl also require a careful clean. Many modern dental chairs are highly sophisticated pieces of kit, far more than just a well-lit recliner, which have motors and tubes running through them supplying water and suction for various dental instruments. All these tubes must be thoroughly disinfected to prevent contamination of the water, again this requires specialist antibacterial cleaning liquids and high-pressure systems to push the air and cleaning solutions thoroughly around and through the tubes to ensure sterilisation. A tricky, time-consuming job full of expensive kit!

Next time your dentist nags you to take better care of your teeth, heed his advice! Brushing your teeth twice a day is nothing compared to the daily cleaning routine which goes into keeping state-of-the-art dental equipment clean and safe for use.

Do you require the best dental imaging and scanning technology or software to give your patients the best possible treatment? Then KaVo's cutting-edge x-ray and dental imaging solutions are what you need! KaVo offer a range of dental and intraoral cameras, which utilise true optics to give a high-quality image, and a range of x-ray and 3D tomography scanners.