How Often Should Dental Hygiene Instruments Be Replaced?

Have you ever tried to fix a fingernail with a worn-down nail file or tried to cut bread without a serrated knife? Using dull or outdated dental equipment can cause similar frustrations and add pain to the process. Dental instruments show simple signs of wear and tear, but do you know what to look for when it comes to replacing a hand instrument?

Why Are Sharp Instruments Important for the Dental Hygienist?

Do you notice muscle fatigue, nerve tingling, or joint pain after a procedure? It might be because you are used to dulling instruments requiring more pressure and movements. When you use properly sharpened instruments or sharpen-free technology, you’ll notice a world of difference. So will your patients.

Less Pain, More Productivity

Just 4% of dental hygienists don’t report muscle fatigue, nerve pain, or joint issues. The vast majority deal with ongoing health issues. Using sharp instruments, especially those with ergonomic designs, requires less poking, prodding, scraping and planing. Sharper tools also allow a lighter grip to get the same results.

Efficiency of Work

Using dulled instruments can lead to missed plaque deposits or burnished calculus, creating more work for dental providers down the road and potential health risks for the patient. Sharp instruments, especially those like the XP® Sharpen-Free technology that is sharper and thinner than traditional instruments, will allow easy access to tight spaces while scraping off calculus.

What’s in the Metal Makes the Difference

Here are some things to consider when forming an instrument quality control and replacement plan:
 

• FREQUENCY OF USE: The more often the instruments are used, the more likely they are to need replacement sooner.
• MAINTENANCE PLAN: It’s not enough to clean the instruments; you must follow the steps required to spot debris, cleanse, sterilize and dry before placing the instruments back into rotation.
• MAKE TIME: Add sharpening to the schedule as if it’s a walk-in patient. There are health risks for the patients and providers if the instruments aren’t sharpened.
   

When considering replacement tools, it’s important to look at the alloys and compositions that are included in the products to prevent corrosion or escalated wear and tear. For example, the innovative XP® Sharpen-Free Instruments were designed with a metallurgic composition to optimize the sharpness and eliminate time-consuming sharpening.

As an example, XP® Sharpen-Free Instruments have a similar average lifespan as conventional stainless steel instruments but never require sharpening, allow for gentle shaving strokes instead of popping calculus off the tooth surface and the tip retains the original tip design to end of life. While sharpen-free instruments can be a bit more expensive, they are more cost-effective in the long run for productivity, hygienist comfort and patient comfort.

Also, it’s important to know the metals and handle material for each of the instruments within the office to prevent accidentally shortening the useful life of all the instruments.

Extending Longevity / Do’s and Don’ts

Here are some simple other ways to maintain your dental instruments:
 

DO…

• Clean, sanitize, and dry instruments after each patient. The sanitizing step does not replace thorough cleaning.
• Separate different metals and alloys during the sanitation process to accommodate each instrument’s requirements for rust and corrosion control. A cassette might be helpful.
• Examine instruments weekly for corrosion, debris, knicks or excessive wear and tear.
   

DON’T…

• Use dull instruments because you are in a rush or don’t have time to sharpen them.
• Skip a step in the sterilization process or leave an instrument with any moisture after sanitizing

• Mix metals during the cleaning process. Each steel, brass, aluminum, etc. metal should have its own sterilization batch.

   

Have A Plan To Maintain Your Most Valuable Instrument

A general rule of thumb is to replace an instrument with 20% or more of the blade side worn down or if the edge loses its shape. It helps to keep an unused tool of each kind for comparison to accurately judge the 20% reduction. Sharpen-free instruments have a similar lifespan as stainless steel but with a lot less hassle.

Maintaining dental hygiene instruments can be time-consuming, but dull instruments can lead to hygienist pain as well as discomfort for patients. A sharpening schedule should be designated each week. Or consider switching to sharpen-free instruments, such as the XP® Sharpen-Free Instruments, and eliminate the need for sharpening all together.