A TOUCHLESS AND SAFER DENTAL PRACTICE

Guide to achieve a touchless and clean dental practice and guarantee patient- and employee safety.

Motion-Sensor Activations, No-Touch, Touch-Free, Touchless all refers to devices and apparatus that activates automatically once it detects motion/movements within the activation zones. The use and adaptation of touchless devices had gradually made its way into smaller offices as well as residential dwellings. The current pandemic has brought touchless devices to the forefront as a major strategy to fight the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the term “touchless” or “touch-free” has been used across multiple industries. Businesses are attempting to make their operations safer, and encouraging customers to take advantage of these measures to resume their purchasing habits.

Does touch-free work for dentistry though? While there are aspects of your profession that must always occur in-person, incorporating touchless communication systems at your dental practice will offer you a great benefit:

It is Safer For Everyone

Safety is now the first thing on patients’ minds when they consider resuming their day-to-day activities, like scheduling dental appointments. However, your expertise gives you an edge–safety has always been your #1 concern as a dentist, and by using your knowledge of PPE and best infectious disease practices, you can reduce the risk for you, your staff, and patients.

A safer reception desk and waiting area

1. Simplified Scheduling and online booking

Typically, scheduling is handled through a combination of in-person visits and phone calls, creating a jumble of notes and paperwork that your staff has to manually input and then carefully follow up on. Moving to a touch-free scheduling system helps to digitize much of this work.

2. Patients Prefer Online Booking

Many business owners are reluctant to automate or digitize their operations, fearing that customers will respond negatively to the “artificial” quality of those systems. But when it comes to scheduling appointments, they couldn’t be further off the mark: nearly 70% OF CONSUMERS prefer to book appointments online, and 93.9% say they’re more likely to choose a business if online booking is offered. Providing an online booking system makes you more appealing to customers, period.

Some of the touchfree inventions you must consider installing in your dental practice:

Sensor Light Switches

Touchless Faucets

Touchless Soap Dispensers

Touchless Paper Towel Dispensers

Touchless Waste Receptacles

Automatic Doors

A safer treatment room:

Now we have talked about touch-free object in the dental office to reduce contamination:

What about one of the most touched objects in your dental practice: the dental treatment unit?

A dental chair is the centrepiece of every dental practice. It is the focal point of your daily work from which you treat and consult your patients. But it is also one of the most touched objects by patients and dental professionals in your practice.

How to avoid contagion? How to keep your dental unit clean?

First of all, an intensive cleaning routine is necessary.

After each treatment:

• Rinsing of suction tubes (inside) and suction system

• Rinsing of instrument tubes (inside) and water supply system

• Cleaning of suction system

• Cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces, instrument tubes and upholstery

• Cleaning and disinfecting of handles at dentist element and operating light

Every morning:

• Rinsing of instrument tubes (inside) and water supply system

• Rinsing of suction tubes (inside) and suction system

• Cleaning of suction system and spittoon

Every evening:

• Rinsing of instrument tubes (inside) and water supply system

• Cleaning of suction tubes (inside), suction system and spittoon

• Cleaning and disinfecting of suction tubes (outside) and instrument tubes (outside)

• Cleaning and disinfecting of suction hose connectors

• Control suction filter inserts

Each week or after a long downtime:

• Cleaning and disinfecting of instrument tubes (inside), water supply system, suction tubes, suction system and spittoon

As needed:

• Control return air filter of turbine

• Cleaning or replacing of silicone pads

• Cleaning and disinfecting of cup filler and cup rest

• Cleaning and disinfecting of instrument holder

• Changing of amalgam separator

You can also opt to automate lots of settings and procedures by using the technology that your dental unit posesses.

The Ancar Series 3, Series 5 and S LINE dental units for example, are equipped with a touch screen that is easy to clean and with the technology to programm all needed settings of instruments for each user. That means less touching, less unnecesary movements and less time wasted. The smooth and seemless design of the unit makes it easy to clean. As it is made out of aluminium and not plastic, desinfection is easier to do and the unit will still look as white and shiny after decades of use.

For more information about the Ancar dental units, visit www.ancar-online.com