Why Should Dental Hygienists Sharpen Their Dental Instruments?

The excitement could be beyond measure when you got your dental instruments for the first time to begin your practice. Over a period of time, the tools may need to be sharpened for effective practice. If your devices are dull, you will need to put additional pressure to remove hard deposits. As a result, it can lead to wrist, back, and neck pain. Moreover, the patient may feel discomfort with added pressure. It’s essential to keep your dental hygiene instruments sharper to protect you from muscle fatigue, provide comfort to the patients, and have excellent control over handling the equipment.

The following sections will highlight the importance of sharpening your dental instruments for an efficient dental practice.

Patient Retention

Dental hygienists may feel it’s a waste of time and money to sharpen their dental tools. But it can affect your long-term business in terms of patient retention and referrals. No one wants to go through an uncomfortable dental procedure. Dull instruments can lead to a long cleaning time and painful calculus removal. On the other hand, sharp instruments will let you do the job with ease. Moreover, you can talk to your customers about additional services you offer.

Greater Instrument Control

When you have dull dental instruments, you will tend to compensate it by adding more pressure. Sometimes, you may lose control and make it painful for the patient. Sharpened tools give you greater control and higher precision.

Risk To Dental Hygienists

Dental hygienists who have sharp equipment tend to have a long career. But dentists with blunt tools may develop muscle fatigue, which may become a serious concern in the long run. It can lead to carpal tunnel or various other muscle disorders. Therefore, it is critical to sharpening the dental instruments frequently for efficient practice.

How To Sharpen Your Dental Instruments

Sharpened instruments will have an extended lifespan. Therefore, it’s essential to sharpen your dental instruments after every 15 strokes or once a week, depending on your practice. You can either sharpen it on your own or send it to a professional for sharpening. US Diamond Dental is a leading dental sharpening expert in the US who can sharpen your dental tools with exact precision.

First, check the dullness of dental equipment using manual scalers and curettes. When you use a sharpening stone, it’s important to consistently maintain the correct angulation of 70 degrees. Also, make sure to retain the instrument’s shape without removing the material.

The author regularly writes about dental hygiene instruments and provides professional services on sharpening dental equipment. Visit https://www.retipping.com/ for more information.