Associated Dentist Wanted in Winona, MN

Our comprehensive, high-quality, family oriented general dentistry office is looking for an associate to cover a maternity leave, leading to a full-time position once the senior dentist returns. For the right doctor, this will become a buy-in opportunity very quickly.

Our three doctor practice enjoys a loyal patient base, numbering over 6,500 active patients. On average, we see approximately 50 new patients a month. With computers in each of our 12 operatories, we utilize digital radiography, Hoya ConBio laser technology, Diagnodent and intra-oral cameras to offer our patients the latest that dentistry has to offer.

Winona is an outdoor lovers paradise, offering all the recreation anyone could ask for. With award winning schools, excellent hospital and clinic system, as well as two major universities, Winona is an excellent place to raise a family. Nestled between Rochester, MN and La Crosse, WI, you can enjoy all the luxuries of the larger cities and all the comforts of smaller town living.

For more information, please contact Jenny Miller at River Hills Dental, 507-452-9453.

Children's Dental Health Services

Flexible part-time Dentist needed to care for the underserved children ages 14 and under. It is a great opportunity to help the underserved community of Rochester and surrounding communities. If you are interested in joining our non-profit organization please contact Kristine Billman, Executive Director, at 507-273-7257 and or twentyteeth@yahoo.com

ProHealth Equipment Distributors, Inc.

We would like to take some time to introduce you to Steve Jaeger, president of ProHealth Equipment Distributors, Inc. Steve is marketing a device called the AnterioRest. AnterioRest is an adjustable arm that is mounted to the back of your patient chair. On the end of this arm is a pad that you can use to lean forward on when working on a patient, rest your arm on while working, or even use as an additional pillow surface for the patient to lean on. Steve has called on us at R-Tech Dental to install these devices in the Minnesota and Wisconsin territories. If the device looks like something that you might have interest in, I encourage you to contact Steve at 612-860-0462 and request a demonstration. You may also click on the AnterioRest logo and it will take you to their website where there is a video of the AnterioRest in action!

Used Triad?

One of our doctors is looking for a used triad curing unit. If you have one that you are no longer using, we may have a home for it. Please contact Mike at 800-826-8704, mention that you have a used Triad light cure unit for sale. (NOMREB)

Used Amalgamator?

Dr. Jerome Appledoorn, of Professional Drive Dental in Northfield, MN is again planning his next foreign mission trip. He is presently in need of an amalgamator for his next trip. So if you have a spare amalgamator that is just eating up space in the basement, contact Dr. Appledoorn at 507-645-5264. He'd appreciate the donation towards this good cause.

Looking for a Dentist.

Westwood Dental Arts (Dr. Bruce Dumke) in Mankato, MN is looking for a full or part-time dentist. Just this year they have moved from South Broad Street to their new modern office location. The office has six operatories and is equipped with digital X-Rays as well as other modern amenities. If you have interest, please contact Janis and let her know you heard about it here! The clinic contact information is listed below:

Dr. Bruce G. Dumke
151 St. Andrews Ct.
Suite 1120
Mankato, MN 56001

(507) 345-4259
(507) 345-4460

Foot Pedal Keeper

I was up in Stillwater, MN at Dr. Matthew Grau's office, Land Of Lakes Endodontics, PA, and noticed that he had a neat way of keeping his foot pedals handy. The piece of wood had been routed out to perfectly fit each of his foot pedals. Sometimes between the handpiece, the cavitron, the prophy jet, the electrosurge, the chair, and the intra-oral camera foot pedals there is hardly any floor space you can step on. I just thought the idea of everything being kept in its own place was kind of cool.

-Mike

Used equipment that we are presently looking for

WANTED OLD & UNUSED HANDPIECES

If you have old or unused handpieces in the bottom of some of your drawers and would like some cash for them give us a list or send them to us for a bid.

WANTED STERILIZERS

If you are buying a new sterilizer and don’t know what to do with the old one give us a call. We are giving excellent trade in values for used sterilizers. Don’t let the other guys tell you that your old one is junk. Let us bid on the new sterilizer and give you a fair trade in on your old one.

Biofilm

They thoroughly and totally pervade our lives. We eat them, we breathe them, they live in our bodies, and we can not live without them. They have been found miles deep in the earth and at the bottom of the deepest ocean. In the wrong place with the wrong kind they can cause you to sicken and even die. I speak of course of bacteria.

With the ability that bacteria has to find and exploit each little niche in the environment it is no surprise that I have found myself battling them continually over the last 25 years.

In the early 1980s the dental delivery systems in use could not have been better designed as housing for bacterial if that had been the original intention. By this time the large Ritter and SS White delivery systems with the belt drive handpieces on their tops were on the way out and we were in the time of the plastic delivery system. Strange as it may seem the older units with lots of metal piping and rubber hosing did not support the growth of bacteria. Furthermore the speed of the old belt drive drills did not require water cooling so water lines were kept to a minimum. If the mouth needed to be flushed the dental unit had a glass of water sitting on it from which the patient would take a mouth full, swish, and spit into the cuspidor. The water to fill the glass was delivered in naturally bacteria resistant copper and brass piping. If the dentist did use his water syringe the water was supplied in a rubber tube that must have also been bacteria resistant since I never had to clean one.

Enter the highspeed handpiece with its critical need for coolant water and everything began to change. The era of the plastic dental unit had begun. Water was being supplied from the municipal water system but once to the unit all the piping was done in vinyl and polyurethane plastic tubing. Bacteria loves plastic water lines. The first infection of bacteria builds a housing development on the inside of the hoses called a polysaccharide matrix. After this matrix is in place a flush of Clorox is very much like cutting the grass. As soon as the Clorox is gone the bacteria emerges from hiding and goes on growing. A further complication was that almost no dental units used a clean water system. Even if the clinic wanted to flush Clorox into its water lines it could not since they were hooked directly to the building water lines. The usual procedure was to wait until the bacteria totally clogged off a water line to a syringe or a handpiece and then call R-Tech.

There was no question in anyone’s mind that a problem existed. We developed techniques to clean the water lines and many clinics put us on routine maintenance schedules so that their lines would be as clean as possible. We began to use check valves in handpiece lines to minimize the introduction of patient induced bacteria into the lines. While the bacteria in the water lines was a nuisance it wasn’t in most cases a threat to the health of the patient. We all take in bacteria every day and in most cases they are benign or can be dealt with by the body’s defenses.

Some of our more proactive clinics began to install clean water systems so that they could routinely run a Clorox rinse through the line. While this did not eliminate the bacteria or the matrix in which they lived it was a good control and at least kept the number of service calls down.

While the problem of the bacteria in the plastic water lines of the dental units had been present since the 1970’s it really didn’t come to the attention of the public until the late 1980’s when one or more of the TV networks investigative programs like 60 Minutes ran exposé’s on Dentistry’s Dirty Little Secret.

Over night patients were asking hard questions and demanding cleaner water and handpieces that had been sterilized. I remember wondering if the people criticizing the dental profession were as concerned about the spoons and forks they ate off in restaurants that had only been dipped in warm soapy water between diners. For good or bad the train had left the station and sterilization and water control had to be addressed. At this time many of the handpieces in use were not designed for repeated sterilization. New handpieces had to be bought and new techniques had to be developed to keep the handpieces lubricated and durable through multiple sterilization cycles. Millie and I tried to do our part inventing and patenting the handpiece flush station now marketed by DCI International which helped prolong handpiece life by providing proper lubrication and cleaning of handpieces before and after sterilization.

Gradually over the next several years almost everyone went to clean water systems and began Cloroxing their lines on a regular basis. We still did not have a solution to the problem of the bacterial matrix and the fast recovery of the bacteria in the lines but when done on a regular basis with handpiece sterilization bacterial counts could be kept within safe levels. Now that a market was available for a dental water line cleaner the chemists began to come up with better and better chemicals to clean and treat the water lines. Today most of the cleaners not only kill the bacteria but also dissolve the polysaccharide matrix thus greatly lengthening the recovery time of the bacteria. Also the new chemicals do not corrode and damage the metal parts of the delivery system as fast as Clorox. Some manufacturers have even developed plastic tubing that is resistant to bacterial growth.

Today the modern dental operatory with its clean water system, anti-retraction valves, water line treatment chemicals and handpiece sterilization is cleaner and safer than ever before. We at R-Tech have gone from four or five clogged water line calls a week to perhaps four or five a year.

While I am sure we have not heard the last from our constant bacterial companions we have won this battle. We have the technology at this point to very effectively control the bacterial counts in your water lines. If you wish to verify that you are doing the right things to be part of this solution here are the things to check.

#1. No water that goes into a patients mount should be fed by a line attached to the city water system. Clean Water Systems are a must for the proper control of your water quality.

#2. A water line treatment plan should be in effect. Each chemical manufacture has their own instructions for proper procedures. We recommend a product called Mint-A-Clean because of its ease of use, effectiveness, and minimal impact to the metal valves and fittings of the dental units.

#3. All handpieces and attachments should be sterilized. Be sure to follow lubrication and flushing procedures to maximize the life of your turbines. Syringe tips should be flushed and sterilized or disposable tips can be used.

#4 While the new bio resistant plastic hoses are nice they are not considered a necessity if the #1 and #2 are followed.

Please call any of the technicians at R-Tech if you have any questions on improving your water control or treatment plans.

R-Tech Dental DUWL Power Point Presentation

-John

Re-Upholstery

Rick Liedl is our upholstery specialist. What Rick can do to fix up a chair is more like art than anything else. The finished product looks better than it did when it came new from the factory. Since we have been promoting Rick, and the reupholstery service here at the shop almost everyone is aware of it. What you may not know however is that we also do piecemeal work. This means arms, slings, and headrests can be done separately to touch up your chair, if it is in otherwise good shape. Here is a challenge for you. Walk into your operatory and look at your patient chair with new eyes. What do you see? Even if all else is in good shape the toe cover is probably scratched and discolored. In most cases you can have the toe cover redone without a service call. Remove the old cover and send it to:

R-Tech Dental
Attn: Rick
16 Taylor St
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729

And within a couple days a new replica will be returned to you. If you have questions just give Rick a call at 715-271-6160.

Other information about our chair recovery services can be found by visiting our chair re-upholstery page.

X-Ray Compliance

Just to make it as easy as possible for all of our clients, I'm constantly updating our X-Ray Calibration Section of our website, which is located under the R-Tech Services Tab. It is chock full of MDH documents, record sheets, bulletins, calibration records, shielding forms, and contact information for other individuals that can help you comply. I have tried to organize it in such a way that you will find it easier to find what you are looking for instead of hunting for it on the MDH website. Please feel free to email me with any suggestions for improvement or inclusion! mike@rtechdental.com

Cheers!

-Mike Wiltrout

Sunset Dental Technologies

Although, I don't personally do any repair work on computer systems installed in dental offices, I am well versed in their use. I have seen both good installs and installs that leave you shocked in total disbelief that the office actually paid someone to have them done. For years I have looked for a company that I could count on to do a good install and provide great service for my customers. Our wait is over...

I'm happy to tell you that we now have a solution to all of your computer network and dental technology problems! R-Tech Dental of MN recommends Zak Spaniol and his staff of well train computer service technicians. If you are looking for a company that can service & repair your computer systems, take care of infrastructure cabling, and support Hi-Tech dental products such as intra-oral cameras and digital X-ray systems, then Sunset Dental Technologies is your solution. Below is a description of the services that SDT is able to provide. Call Zak and let him know that Mike Wiltrout sent you!

• SERVICE & REPAIR - SDT's primary focus is Customer Service! We will answer your calls and we will be there on time. We service both Windows and MAC's for your convenience. With our dedicated team of qualified engineers and project managers, we can address your on-going network maintenance, monitoring and management service needs. SDT specializes in HIPPA compliance, configuration and implementation -- including complete technology consulting, sales, service and integration of servers, workstations, printers, patient entertainment, intraoral, digital radiography, panoramix systems, LCD arms, phone systems, professional audio and video systems and more. We are also experienced but not limited to the following platforms: DentiMax, Dexis, Schick, ViperSoft, EagleSoft, SoftDent, Practice Works, Dentrix, ImageRay, LightYear, Suni, Easy Dental.
• INFRASTRUCTURE CABLING - SDT can source, install and maintain all structured wiring per the ANSI/EIA/TIA standards to ensure performance at the appropriate level. All of our technicians are professional and a comprehensive warranty program that will protect your investment backs every installation.
• HI-TECH PRODUCT SELECTION - We are vendor neutral and offer advice on Digital X-ray Systems, Intraoral Cameras, and Digital Cameras. We also have significant experience with most Practice Managment and Dental Imaging Software. We can help you select the package that will work best for your office. You pick what suits your practice and we will take care of the rest.
• MAINTENANCE - SDT offers Maintenance Service Plans to fit your needs and most importantly, your budget. This provides the best and most cost-effective way for SDT to service your network of computers.
• EMERGENCY RESPONSE - We fully understand the importance of keeping your system and network running both day and night. In the event of an emergency we are there to help 24x7! Simply call our office at 612-701-6393 and we will address your service needs immediately.

Sunset Dental Technologies
Zak Spaniol, Managing Partner
13570 Grove Dr. #257
Maple Gove, MN 55311
612-701-6393
866-824-6926 FAX
info@sunsetdt.com

AC vs. DC X-Ray Machines

Q: I have been told that a DC type x-ray machine is better for taking digital x-rays than the AC type machine. What is the difference between a DC machine and an AC machine?

A: The cheapest way to produce x-rays is to use the alternating current that comes from the power company to power the x-ray head. This alternating electric current changes direction in the wires sixty times each second. It also increases and decreases in intensity one hundred and twenty times per second. The effect of using this current is to produce x-rays that turn on and off sixty times each second. Further, the x-rays that are produced each begin too weak to use and grow to proper strength before they decrease again to being too weak. The design of the AC x-ray calls for filters of aluminum to eliminate the x-rays that are too weak to use. This ultimately leaves Sixty pulses of x-ray each some what shorter than one, one hundred and twentieth of a second long each second. The DC x-ray machine uses direct electric current to power the x-ray head. Direct current does not change direction nor does it change intensity. Direct current is a steady supply of power and consequently the x-rays that are produced are smooth and consistent. This smoothness of the DC x-ray machine produces a slightly better effect on the digital sensors than the AC x-ray machine.

• Example of an AC Waveform:

• Example of a DC Waveform:

Dental Unit Foot Control

The foot control of your dental unit is a critical component in the proper operation of your operatory. While we are all aware that this round silver disk allows us to control the speed of the handpiece it is less commonly known the part it plays in proper handpiece water control. The foot control is supplied with a main ¼ inch air line that is regulated just below 80 pounds per square inch of pressure. This means that even though the pressure in the compressor tank can vary as much as 20 psi, up and down, there is always a regulated non-changing amount being supplied to the foot control. This regulated air supply is used in three ways by the foot control. First of all there is a main valve that opens in response to the pressure of the foot on top of the disk. As the disk is pressed harder the air supplied to the handpiece increases from 0 psi to a preset maximum of about 40 psi. This air is sent from the main valve back to the unit in a second ¼ inch air hose. When the pressure of the foot is removed from the disk the main valve shuts down and opens up quickly releasing the pressure that is going to the handpiece. If the main valve is sluggish the handpiece may continue to run for a few seconds before releasing the air. A properly working main valve will quickly make a "psst" of air when released and the handpiece should begin to stop immediately. The second and third ways that the regulated air is used involve the chip air and the water pilot air. Attached to the main valve in the foot control is another valve called the pilot air valve. The pilot air valve is designed so that even a small push on the disk will send a full pressure air supply back to the unit in a 1/8 inch hose to be used for the chip air on the handpiece. When the foot control is released the chip air from the pilot valve turns off and the pressure dissipates out the chip air hole at the front of the handpiece. The pilot air valve also supplies a full pressure air supply to a small toggle valve on the top of the foot control. This toggle valve is used to turn the water supply on and off to the handpiece. When the toggle valve is turned on the full pressure air is allowed to go back to the unit in another 1/8 inch air line where it pushes open another valve that is hooked up to water thus turning on the water to the handpiece. When the foot control is released the pilot valve quickly shuts down and releases the air pressure in this air line. It is important that the air be released quickly so as to minimize the amount of water that drips from your handpiece. If the pilot air valve is sticking at all, the water will continue to drip from your handpiece unit the pilot air valve resets and releases the pressure.

READ THIS EVEN IF YOU SKIP THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

The most common problems with the foot control involve air leaks and the sticking of the main valve or the pilot air valve. Your foot control should not leak air at all if you are not pushing it or if you are pushing it and holding it. You should only hear an air release for a brief second or two after pushing and releasing the disk. Test this by picking up the foot control and holding it to your ear. Now squeeze and hold the disk down with your hand. Little or no air should be heard to escape. Finally release the foot control and you should immediately hear the psst of releasing pressure. If the psst is delayed by a few seconds your control should be serviced. Finally any continuous leak from the foot control can be very hard on your clinic’s compressor. We have seen compressors fail due to a foot control leak.

Do Electric Handpieces Need Oil?

A couple weeks ago I received an excellent question that I thought I would share with everyone.

Is it important to use an automatic oiler with the electric handpiece attachments?

The oiling of the electric handpiece attachments is very important to make them last. We are referring to the 1:5 heads that are used to turn the electric motors into highspeed handpieces. The procedure, for oiling them manually, requires that we use an aerosol oil with a special adapter. KaVo recommends KaVo Spray Oil #0411.9650 and adapter #0411-9931. We begin by holding the handpiece in a paper towel and using the spray can and adapter, spray into the back for 2 or 3 seconds. Next the handpiece should be run for 20 to 30 seconds to blow out the oil before sterilization. The use of units like the Quatro Care or the Asistina do these procedures automatically. In the fast pace of most offices the Quatro Care and the Assistina save time and ensure that the job is done properly. Do not forget that there is no guarantee that the chuck that holds the bur will get oiled unless a couple of drops of oil are manually put in it at least weekly.

- John Wiltrout

How Does Your X-Ray Work?

Have you ever wondered what is going on in your x-ray machine when it makes x-rays? Here is a brief and general explanation that you canuse to answer the questions of the young scientists that sit in your chair. The control box of the x-ray machine does two things. It takes the electrical power that comes from the power company and it controls it so that too much doesn’t get through. This part of the job of the control is called power regulation. The second job of the control is to start the x-ray and stop it in a set period of time. Just like a time keeper in a race the control turns on the switch that starts the x-rays and then after a brief measured amount of time it turns the switch off.

The electricity that the control regulates and times on and off goes to the head of the x-ray where the actual rays are produced. The x-ray tube that is mounted inside the head is like a small dim light bulb with an extra piece of metal at one end. This metal is called tungsten and it has a special property. When tungsten is hit by a high energy electron it takes the energy of the electron and gives the energy back as an x-ray. When the electricity from the control arrives at the head it is split into two jobs. The first job is to light the small dim light. This will be where the electrons come from. The second job is to produce an electric field that will give the electrons the high energy that we want them to have. In the typical dental x-ray the electrons leave the dim light and hit the tungsten metal with an energy of seventy thousand electron volts. The result is an x-ray with enough power to pass through flesh, bone and to a lesser degree teeth and still have enough energy to expose a film or be detected by a digital sensor. The rest of the structure of the x-ray head is for the purpose of absorbing all the stray x-rays and only letting the useful ones out through the cone.

SciCan Stat-m Water Reservoir Filter

Effective April 2006, SciCan strongly recommends the water reservoir filter become a part of all Statim maintenance and repairs.

Product Features and Benefits:

• The water reservoir filter will greatly reduce the occurrence of particles entering the water reservoir and help prolong the life of the internal components.


• Backward compatible with older units when a new cap is installed.


• Avoids splashing when pouring distilled water into the reservoir.


• The filter is easily removable for monthly cleaning or when required, due to a clogged filter, by placing the filter upside down below running water.


• This filter is present in all Statim sterilizers mfd. after April 2006.

Handpieces Then, Now, and Tomorrow

The highspeed dental handpiece has been a work in progress since it was first introduced several decades ago. I was a young man when my dentist got his first Borden Highspeed handpiece. It was a shiny steel box with a black cord and slim handpiece that mounted to the tray arm of his Ritter (Gas Pump Style) dental delivery system. Up to this point my cavities had all been excavated with the belt drive slow speed handpiece that hung off the top of the Ritter. When the belt drive hand piece was applied to my tooth my whole head would vibrate. Even at the age of ten I was interested in machines so my dentist explained the operation of the highspeed to me. I was intrigued by the technology but most impressed that my head no longer vibrated when he cut out a cavity.

Since my first introduction to the highspeed handpiece nearly 50 years ago no radical improvement in the basic technology has occurred. This is not to say that we have not seen improvements. The mechanism for holding the bur has gone from a friction fit in a plastic sleeve to a spring loaded push button chuck. The water spray has gone from a single hole to multiple spray jets with internal anti retraction. The mounting adapter has improved from a 2 hole screw on coupler to a 4 hole 360 degree swivel bayonet with a built in power optic light source. Finally the handpiece has gone from the dark to having a head light to shine on the prep area. Unfortunately no one has been able to come up with a better idea for spinning the bur than using compressed air and a small turbine.

We have seen other ideas like the laser and the air abrasion machines but their costs and side effects have kept them from going main stream. Even the recent advent of the operatory electric handpiece with a highspeed head has failed to capture the market because of the cost and size problems. Each approach seems to have as many nuisance side effects as it has benefits. There is not a single one of you who could not write the specifications for a perfect highspeed handpiece. So why, if we can contemplate putting men on Mars, can’t we produce what each of us can so easily imagine. The fact of the matter is that the technology to build the perfect dental handpiece is probably tougher than putting men on Mars.

Let’s for the fun of it take a quick look at what may or may not be possible in the near future. I believe that an external metal alloy will be found that doesn’t look bad after only a year or two. Some of the newer bodies are already approaching this. We will see very bright LED lights in the front of the handpieces to replace the fiber optics. I believe that the technology exists to power these LEDs off the spin of the turbine. This would not only eliminate the fiber optics but also bulbs and wires and all the things that fail and cost lots of money. I believe that a lubrication free chuck mechanism can be built and used in conjunction with the already fantastic lubrication free bearings. This would eliminate the need to lubricate the chuck of your lube free handpiece. It will be possible to make the handpiece cord and adapter lighter as well as the handpiece itself. This will lower hand and wrist strain. The head size of the handpiece is likely to stay about the size they are now. The side effects of smaller size are poor performance and reduce life expectancy. I believe that the competition for improved performance and durability will keep the heads from getting smaller than they currently are.

It is exciting to watch the major players in handpiece design struggle to approach the ideal handpiece. The W&H company currently is introducing a handpiece with LED lights. The Midwest people have something new called ATC ( Automatic Torque Control) which is billed as an electric / air hybrid. Each new design and new idea moves the art closer to our perfect design.

I want to finish here with some ideas for you when you go shopping for handpieces and are tempted to try some of these new innovations. In many cases there is a trade off between a very desirable trait and a nuisance side effect. The quiet and high torque of the electrics are a good example. While these very desirable features have been worth the extra size and weight that comes with the package for almost everyone there have been some instances where the weight has proved too much to adapt to. The point is to be aware of the downsides and not to over look them when making your decision. My own nature tends to be fairly conservative. It took many years for my boys to pry my conventional screwdriver from my hand and force me to try a new fangled electric one. Unless you are the adventuresome type it doesn’t usually hurt to wait and see what the market has to say about the new innovation in a year. If you are watching your budget it is good to know about the maintenance costs in advance. It is a good idea to find out how often the new handpieces will break down and how much it will cost to fix them. Finally, feel free to give us a call if you have questions. We repair many handpieces each month and though we may not know which is exactly right for you we will be glad to tell you what we have seen and learned.

- John Wiltrout

Squeaks, Noises and Drifting

Remind your staff to be conscious of squeaks and unusual noises in your chairs, lights and x-ray equipment. If caught early most problems are easy to fix. If they are ignored however you run the risk of needing expensive parts or the prospect of mechanical failure and possible injury to you, your staff, or a patient. Small changes like drifting arms can also signal a pending problem even if a squeak or noise is not present. Most light, x-ray, and unit arms rely on being level for stability. If they are drifting their attachment to the building may be failing. Better safe than sorry.

Sterilizer Maintenance

Your office sterilizer is one of the key pieces of equipment in your office. Keeping it clean and in proper working order is a real challenge because of the constant stream of chemicals through its chamber as well as the constant range of temperatures through which it must operate. Here are some suggestions that will prolong the time you can use it before it has to come and visit me.

#1 Thoroughly rinse, with water, all instruments after they have been in the ultrasonic cleaner before putting them in the sterilizer so as to minimize the amount of Ultrasonic Cleaner solution that gets into the chamber. Pay attention to items like syringe tips that may hold a volume of the ultrasonic solution and later release it during sterilization.

#2 Drain the reservoir and put in new Distilled water on a weekly basis. ( Does Not Apply to Statim)

#3 Be aware of the user maintainable filters in the chamber so you can make sure they are clean and in place.

#4 Remove the trays and tray holder on a weekly basis and clean them with a scotch brite pad. If you use an SOS pad be sure to thoroughly rinse and inspect them for strands of steel wool before putting them back in the chamber. Visually inspect the chamber when the trays are out. Clean it if necessary but be cautious of the filters and sensors that hang into the chamber. Always mop out the water and cleaning solution and rinse with distilled water several times.

#5 For your protection from infection liability be sure to run a spore test on a weekly basis. We have a very economical spore test system that is easy and gives the protection needed.

Burs Slip In Handpiece Chucks

We repair a lot of handpieces. One of the most common complaints with the highspeeds is that the bur is slipping from the chuck. This of course is annoying and dangerous. Often this occurs in relatively new turbines that would otherwise have a good deal of life left in them. I want to recommend that you put a drop of liquid oil into the hole where the bur is inserted on a weekly basis. The normal oiling procedures and even the machines like the Assistina or Quatrocare do not put oil into the actual chucking mechanism. Please note that even the “Oil Free” handpieces need to have their chucks oiled if they are to give you the maximum life. Our choice of liquid oil is the LubriCleanse synthetic. This oil has special properties that keep it from changing or deteriorating during sterilization.

R-Tech Dental Handpiece Repair Service

Air driven motors for E-Type attachments

Several of my clients are putting in new electric handpiece systems and investing lots of money into the attachments that fit onto them. Most of these electric handpiece systems use attachments that are referred to as "E-type attachments". Today I was in an office where two of their electric handpiece boxes were broken and not working. The doctor mentioned that it would sure be nice to be able to still use his attachments while the electric handpiece motor and box were being repaired. I found that many of you were not aware that there are air driven motors that will run those "E-type attachments" as well, albeit with less torque.

In addition to the motors, we have several different vendors that have generic E-type attachments at a substantial discount over the name brand ones that you normally see. As an example, we can supply discounted attachments from Mk-Dent, Johnson-Promident, and NSK. Please call us for pricing and types that are available.

Below is a pictorial of some of the options that we have from Johnson-Promident:
The Mk-Dent attachments are available in fiber optic or non-fiber optic and mimmick KaVo style E-type attachments:

Ultrasonic Cleaner Testing

Today, one of my clients reminded me that I had promised to write about ultrasonic cleaners and how they should be tested. So here goes:

Step 1: Degassing - What is "degassing" and why is it important?

Degassing is the process of removing small suspended gas bubbles and dissolved gas from a liquid prior to using it as a vehicle for ultrasonic cleaning. Dissolved gas, if not removed, migrates into cavitation bubbles during their formation and prevents them from imploding violently to promote the cleaning effect and gas bubbles absorb ultrasonic energy reducing the sound intensity in the tank. The gas acts to cushion the imploding bubble much like an air bag in a car. Liquids should be degassed by raising the temperature, adding the cleaning chemistry and operating the ultrasonic energy for a period of time ranging from 10 to 30 minutes (depending on the size of the tank and the nature and concentration of the chemicals being used) minimum prior to use. Small bubbles will not be seen rising to the liquid surface during ultrasonic operation in a completely degassed liquid.

Step 2: Aluminum foil testing

The most reliable measurement device for cavitation is a simple foil test. To perform the test, a piece of aluminum foil is placed vertically in the cleaning bath down to the bottom of the tank spanning opposite corners. Typical immersion time for the foil is 1 min in the bath. Upon inspection of the foil, a pattern of indentations, and possibly holes (depending on the foil thickness, frequency and power density) should occur. In a properly designed ultrasonic tank, the pattern on the foil should be uniform and cover the entire area. This shows that even cavitation is occurring, and, therefore, cleaning sh

ould be even and consistent. If the pattern is inconsistent and there are dead zones, then inconsistent cleaning can occur.

How do I perform the "glass slide" test?

Wet the frosted portion of a glass slide with tap water and draw an "X" with a No. 2 pencil from corner to corner of the frosted area. Making sure that the tank is filled to the fill line, immerse the frosted end of the slide into fresh cleaning solution. Turn on the ultrasonics. The lead "X" will begin to be removed almost immediately, and all lead should be removed within ten seconds.

How do I perform the "foil" test?

Cut three small pieces of aluminum foil about 4" x 8" each. Fold each piece over a rod that you will use to suspend the foil in the tank. A clothes hanger works well. Your cleaner should be filled with an ultrasonic cleaning solution, degassed, and brought up to normal operating temperature. Suspend the first "square" in the center of the tank and the other two a couple of inches from each end of the tank. Make sure that the tank is filled to the fill line, and turn on the ultrasonics for about ten minutes. Remove the foil and inspect: All three pieces of aluminum foil should be perforated and wrinkled to about the same degree.

How do I stop my saliva ejector tip from falling off?

"How do I stop my saliva ejector tip from falling off?", the hygienist looked irritated, "Everytime I bend the saliva ejector straw even slightly the rubber tip comes off with it and the valve lands on the ground. Then I have to stop and disinfect the valve! What can I do to stop this?"

Well, there are two basic types of saliva ejectors and they each have their own strengths and weaknesses:

The rubber tipped saliva ejector valve:

Strength: The tip is soft and molds to seal on almost any diameter of straw.
Weakness: The tip can be bent to a point where it pops off of the valve.

The all metal body saliva ejector valve:
Strength: The solid metal body with internal o-ring works like a high volume evacuator valve and it does not have a rubber tip that can pop off.
Weakness: Internal o-rings get worn out and need to be replaced. It does not work with all saliva ejector staws as some have an outside diameter that is too small to be held by the internal o-ring.

So, my suggestion is to switch to the all metal body saliva ejector and switch to straws that work with the all metal body saliva ejector. The problem solved -- No more tips falling off!

NOTE: Both types of saliva ejectors that we offer are sterilizable and separable from the actual tubing. At the base of the saliva ejector valve is the rotatable pivot that reduces strain on your hand due to twisitng of the tubing and allows for this disconnection for sterilization.

King Orthodontics

Today we completed installation of all of the operatory equipment for Dr. Darrin King's new office in Faribault, MN location and he is now open for business. King Orthodontics actually consists of three office locations, Faribault, Owatonna, and Rochester. I am grateful to Dr. King for entrusting this project to us. I'm happy with the end results. The office has a large open ortho bay with Dexta chairs and units. I wish Dr. King and his staff well in their new location.

How long can water sit in the bottle?

"How long can water sit in a bottle when it has been treated with an A-dec ICX or a Confirm Monitoring's Blu-tab water tablet?"

Ok, I got asked this question today, and I did not have a definite answer. After calling the manufacturers, we found out the following:

• Water in a bottle that has been treated with A-dec ICX is effective for a period of 14 days.
• Water in a bottle that has been treated with BluTab is effective for a period of 28 days.

So this just means that bottles that have tablet disinfectants in them can be left on the delivery systems for that many days before they should be drained or replaced. If you are not using a tablet disinfectant in your bottle, all water should be drained out of the bottle at the end of each day.

Even if you are using a disinfectant tablet in your water bottles, your unit will need to be periodically disinfected with a product like Mint-A-Kleen. If you are not using a tablet disinfectant in your clean water bottles then we recommend weekly disinfection of your delivery systems using Mint-A-Kleen.

If your clean water bottle develops a musty smell, you may take a 1:10 mixture of bleach and put it into the water bottle, screw on a bottle cap, shake the bottle and then let it sit for a few minutes. Rinse the bottle thoroughly after this "cleansing procedure". We DO NOT recommend that the bleach mixture be run through the delivery unit. Only an approved water line disinfectant such as Mint-A-Kleen should be used for that purpose.

Circle Drive Dental Opens Its Doors

Today, Michael & Stephanie Sawyer and their staff opened the doors to their new office in Rochester. This was a Sullivan-Schein project headed by Shawn Bengtson and Sam Lyga. I am happy that Dr. Sawyer decided to go this way. The end product is absolutely stunning. The new office incorporates all Midmark cabinetry and operatory equipment. We moved over all of the Gendex 770 X-ray units and they have upgraded to all digital X-ray sensors and a new Gendex digital pan. I know that Mike has worked hard for many years and this new office is long overdue and very much deserved. I appreciate the continued use of my services for all of their repair needs.

Southern Heights Moves Into New Building

On September 25th, 2006 Southern Heights Dental Group moved into their new location. I wanted to take some time to congratulate them on this move and thank them for allowing me to supply and install the vacuum system that powers this large facility. Southern Heights Dental Group's website is available by clicking the image (above). You can see their new facility and the services that this group provides to their customers. Enjoy the new office guys!

Advertising vs. Acquiring

One of my clients calls me every couple of years and tells me, "Well Mike, I've acquired another office and I need you to come bid on the used equipment and haul it away." The last time he called, I decided to ask him why it was that he was acquiring so many offices and never using any of the old equipment. He told me that he does not advertise... At all. He told me that he feels much better served, by putting his entire advertising budget into a "war chest" for future acquisitions. Once he finds an older docotor in his general area, he uses the advertising war chest to acquire the older doctor's practice. He relies on me to deal with the old equipment and he pulls all of the patient load into his modern dental office. He likes the fact that many of the patients have gone without many "difficult" procedures that he can now provide. He grows his practice in definite leaps and bounds instead of hopeful scatter drift-in from advertising that may or may not be effective at all. He believes that this method is money well spent.

Safe Distance for Pan/Ceph Exposures

Recently we have had some interesting developments relating to pan and ceph installations that have fixed exposure buttons outside in a hallway. Many of these remote exposure button locations are installed prior to our arrival by electricians who may not have any concept on where they should really be located. The other issue that we have run into is site planning that was completed by architects who had no regard for how the X-Ray machine works and what safe locations and distances need to be.

There are several points to be considered when placing a remote exposure button:

• Operator must be at least 6 feet from the patient being exposed by a panoramic X-
  ray unit.
• Operator must be able to view the patient throughout the entire rotation.
• Ceph exposures should be optimally oriented so that the scatter radiation (Radiation that misses the cassette) should exit the building though an exterior wall or be knocked down by some type of lead shielding.

There are several things that we can do to accomplish the above goals.

• If the operator's remote exposure button is closer than 6 feet, we can install a coiled exposure cord at the present button location, allowing the operator to pick it up and step further away from the machine than 6 feet.
• Mirrors can be installed on walls to aid the operator's visibility of the patient during exposure while still allowing for minimum safe distance.
• If the machine can not be relocated to allow for outside orientation of the ceph exposure, it may be necessary to install extra layers of sheetrock or install some type of lead curtain or shield to knock down the scatter radiation of the ceph. There is a company, Pacific Northwest X-Ray, Inc. that specializes in many types of lead curtains and shielding materials.
• Beyond all of this, you can hire a physicist to measure the scatter radiation from your X-ray machine to see if you have anything to be concerned about. Here is a list of a few that we are aware of:

Minneapolis Radiation
Mary Fox, M.D.
6401 France Ave S.
Edina, MN
55435
952-920-8477

Richard Geise, Ph.D.
18430 - 5th Ave N.
Plymouth, MN 55447
612-863-6636

University of Minnesota
Bruce Gerbi, Ph.D.
Box 494, UMHC, Harvard
& East River Road
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612-626-6154

St. Joseph's Hospital
Guy Sherwood
69 West Exchange St.
St. Paul,
MN 55102
651-232-3111

Practice For Sale

The practice of Dr. Roland W. Pardun, DDS in Cochrane, WI is for sale. Please contact him for more information.

Dr. Roland W. Pardun
241 N. Main St.
P.O. Box 11
Cochrane, WI 54622
(608)248-2442

Trip Plans

R-Tech Dental of MN will be closed for a week during the month of July. I'm taking my wife to Alaska to make up for all of the years without a real vacation and to give her the honeymoon in Alaska that she never got. We will be gone from July 16th (Sunday) until July 25th (Tuesday).

If during this time an emergency should occur... Eeeek!

I have the following options for you:

• R-Tech Dental of MN (Richard Briney)
  Elko, MN
  (952) 461-2322 (Home)
• R-Tech Dental Equipment Services (Matt, Rick, John)
  Chippewa Falls, WI
  (715) 723-0737
• Sullivan-Schein Dental
  Eagan, MN
  (800) 645-6594

If it is not an emergency, please leave a message for me or call me back on Wednesday and we will get you scheduled up for a service call.

Thanks for understanding!

Mike

Gentling Dental Care Welcomes New Dentist

Join us in Welcoming Dr. Melissa McCulloch to our staff!

She is a 2002 graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, WI. After dental school, she completed one-year General Practice Residency at the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis. Dr. Melissa practiced in St. Cloud for 2-1/2 years before relocating to Rochester. She is a member of various national, state and local dental organizations.

Gentling Dental Care
2210 North Broadway
Rochester, MN 55901
507-288-7379

Dental office space for sale

Dr. Tony Lund has a dental office space available in Rochester, MN. The space is located directly above the offices of Dr. Truax and Dr. Praska (orthodontists). It is across the street from Lourdes high school at 15 NW 7th Ave. The space includes 5 operatories complete with chairs, lights, delivery units, and X-ray units. There is a waiting room, private back office, records room, consult room, bathrooms, storage, and a sterilization/break room.

Dr. Lund can be reached at (507) 319-3508 if you are interested in a tour of the space.

Blogger Implementation

We are making some changes to our newsletter that we hope will be exciting and make this area even more functional for our customers. You will notice now at the end of each of our newsletter articles is a comment and email buttton.

The email button will allow you to forward the newsletter article to a colleague or anyone else that you think might have interest.

The comment button will allow you to comment on any of our articles that you read. If you have a question about something that I write, or if you want to add a comment please do so! Maybe you have a suggestion of a better way to do something, or maybe you have some other conclusions. As with any blog, these comments will be visible to others.

In the next few weeks, we will be more finely integrating the blog into the framework of the website to make it feel more comfortable. We will also be making all of the historical links active as well.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from all of you.

-Mike

Children's Dental Health Services

Dental Hygienist Kris Billman of Byron, MN opened the doors of Children's Dental Health Services on Feb 1, 2006. She provides dental services for children from ages 1-5 without dental insurance. Her office is located within the United Way building and her office hours are 8AM - 5PM Monday through Friday. Billman is seeking any donations that can be provided. CDHS will run primarily through reimbursement from programs like Medicaid and MinnesotaCare. She plans to expand her services to cover children up to the age of 18 by March. Way to go Kris!

Children's Dental Health Services
United Way Building
903 W. Center St.
Rochester, MN
(507) 273-7257 (for appointment)

Hot Utility Rooms

Heat can damage your compressor and vacuum systems. If you have a small utility room that has no ventilation it can get extremely hot in there. To avoid problems with the room getting too hot, you may want to consider adding some ventilation. This means either having a vent and a return installed in the room or having some kind of bathroom fan installed to vent the hot utility room to the outside. Now, nobody wants to vent their heat to the outside in the dead of winter or have a bathroom fan running 12 hours a day venting air conditioned air to the outside in the summer either. So here is the solution if you cannot get a vent and a return installed. Have an HVAC installer put in a bathroom fan that is controlled by a thermostat. That way, the bathroom fan only runs when the utility room gets too hot and does not when it is unnecessary.

Another option is to use a type of fan and thermostat that are used to keep greenhouses cool:

Charles Hawk, D.D.S. Practice For Sale

Dr. Charles D. Hawk of St. Charles, MN is looking to sell his practice. Please contact his office at (507) 932-4530 for further information. His office is located here:

931 Whitewater Ave
P.O. Box 677
St. Charles, MN 55972

Check Valve Retraction

Today, Penny, from Dr. Tim Flor's office in Waseca, told me that she attended a seminar where they suggested that all units be checked to make sure that the handpiece hoses have check valves installed to prevent retraction of liquids from the patients mouth.

Check valves do serve a purpose when they work. Check valves are designed to only permit the flow of air or water in one direction. There is normally a small arrow stamped on their exterior that indicates which way flow will be permitted. They are installed on each water bearing handpiece line within a delivery unit. Check valves are usually constructed of either a small piece of rubber tubing that is pinched flat on one end (A duckbill valve) or they are constructed using a small ball bearing, a spring, and an o-ring.

Penny wanted to know if I felt that it was necessary to have them inspected and to have new check valves installed. My thoughts on check valves are as follows:

PROS:

1. Check valves do prevent backflow from the patient when they are working properly. This helps prevent additional bacteria contamination of the unit.
2. They are necessary in some applications such as flush toggles on delivery units, or cavitron dual select devices that allow for selection of different medicaments.

CONS:

1. The check valves tend to get a contamination within them that causes them to leak thus defeating their originally intended purpose.
2. Check valves tend to clog preventing all flow of water to the handpiece.
3. As they are "anti-retraction" devices, they tend to not allow the water to drawback upon termination of a foot pedal depress. This means that a small amount of water dribbles from the end of the handpiece everytime you stop.
4. They really need to be checked every 6 months to see if they are retracting and should be replaced if they are.

Here is a picture from a microscope showing a check valve that has failed due to buildup of bacteria on the surfaces of the duck bill valve:

If you would like, we can check your delivery system handpiece hoses for retraction and offer suggestions. Check valves do work, but they do go bad and must be replaced regularly if you intend to reap the benefits that they provide. A strict regiment of waterline disinfectant use (such as Mint-A-Kleen) will help extend the life of your check valves.

Relocation of Birch Lake Dental

Birch Lake Dental is relocating. Their new address is as follows:

Birch Lake Dental
4641 White Bear Parkway
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
(651) 429-0404

View Map

Our congratulations go out to Geetha J. Damodaran, D.D.S. and her staff.

Recent glut of non-digital pan and pan/ceph units

Due to the fact that many offices are going to a complete digital setup, there has become an increasing number of good quality non-digital pan and pan/ceph units that are available. Below is a list of some of the more recent machines that are available and the doctors that would like to sell them:

Siemens OP10 Pan machine -- Dr. John Gawlik 952-884-8337
Gendex Orthoralix Pan/Ceph -- Dr. Philip Perry 651-565-2888
Panoramic Laser 1000 Pan/Ceph -- Dr. Jeffrey Loveless 507-451-5993
Panoramic PC-1000 Pan machine -- Associates in Family Dental Care (Attn Connie) 507-455-1641

Please feel free to call these doctors/offices to inquire about their used X-Ray machines.

Just a friendly reminder about vacuum line cleaners

Bleach and various other cleaning chemicals (including some acidic vacuum line enzymatic cleaners) are NOT your vacuum system's friend. It amazes me how much damage can be done by the wrong types of cleaners. To give you just a little taste of what I'm talking about, here is a picture of a brass fitting on a wet-ring vacuum pump. Keep in mind that this fitting is made of solid brass and has a nominal wall thickness of about 3/8".


As you can see from the picture, there is a gaping hole where solid metal used to be. The really tragic problem with this is that bad cleaners adversely affect the entire vacuum system, including any copper vacuum lines, pump fittings, pump impellers and housings, and even any amalgam separators that are inline. So once a problem like this is noticed, plenty of damage has had a chance to occur.

To avoid this problem in your office we recommend that absolutely NO bleach be allowed to be run down your vacuum lines, and we also recommend that you try to use vacuum line cleaners that have a fairly neutral pH. We have a chart of acceptable cleaners listed right here:

Acceptable Cleaners Sheet

OSHA label permanency

Yesterday, I was working at Dental Health Affiliates, the office of Dr. Charlie Smith, in Rochester, MN. I noticed something that I have not seen in any other offices. They have taken the time to have plastic signs engraved with all of the various OSHA compliance labeling. In many offices this labeling has been accomplished using simple adhesive stickers that eventually peel and/or look worn after short periods of time. The engraved plastic signs that Dental Health Affiliates have posted look very professional, and have a permanency to them that regular stickers will never have.

With Charlie's permission I took a couple of quick snapshots of some of the labeling that has been done in his office to give you all a chance to see what I was talking about:



Now compare the above pictures with what we commonly see in many dental offices:

How far should clean water bottles be filled?

I understand that when your operatory has a clean water bottle system that it can be frustrating when that bottle runs out. Consequently, many assistants have had a tendency to fill their water bottles all the way to the top before screwing them onto the clean water systems. Clean water systems are fairly simple devices. They consist of a manifold that the bottle screws into, a water feed tube (Hangs down inside of bottle), and a small hole near the top of the bottle where regulated air (approximately 40PSI) enters the bottle. As strong as the tendency to fill the bottle to the top is, I want your staff to refrain from this practice. Here's why:

#1 As a bottle is screwed onto a clean water system manifold, the feed tube displaces water as it enters the bottle causing water to spill over causing a mess, especially if the solution in the bottle is a waterline cleaning agent.

#2 If a bottle is completely full of water when screwed onto a clean water system manifold the water is at such a high level within the bottle that it comes into contact with the air inlet hole of the manifold. If the bottle gets pressurized and then de-pressurized, the water tends to get into the air line. This water can damage bottle on/off toggles, pressure regulators, as well as even cause water to come out when the air button is pressed on a syringe. This condition is referred to as air/water crossover and is something we want to avoid if at all possible.

Ah, so here comes the answer to the question that everyone is asking right now. "How full should I fill the clean water bottle?" -- We suggest that you stay down about 1.5 inches from the neck of the bottle. Some of the newer clean water bottles actually have a raised fill line molded onto the bottle. We basically want to make sure that there is a gap of air near the top of the bottle even after it is screwed onto the manifold.

Dr. Garrett Starr's new office

Today we finished moving Dr. Starr into his new office. Wow! What a nice upgrade for him, his staff, and his patients. We wish Dr. Starr and his staff well in their new location and want to thank him for the chance to be a part of this relocation.

Christmas and New Years wishes

At R-Tech Dental, we would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We also want to let all of you know that R-Tech Dental of MN will be closed the last week of December this year (December 24th - January 1st). R-Tech Dental of MN will re-open on Monday, January 2nd. Mike is taking time off to spend with his kids.

Panoramic Lead Aprons

I have seen many assistants improperly using a lead vest while trying to take a panoramic X-ray. The rotation of a panoramic tube head usually starts on one side of the patient, rotates around the back of the patient's head, and ends on the opposite side of the patient's head. Does placing a lead vest over the patient's chest do anything to protect them from radiation during exposure? No. The radiation on a panoramic rotation comes from the sides and from behind the patient not the front. If you must use a full size lead vest for panoramic X-rays you are better off placing it over the patient's back being careful to not allow it to be placed too high on the patient's neck. If the lead vest is placed too high, you will very likely loose the anterior teeth and/or the lower half of your radiograph.

We have a better solution -- The panoramic cape. It is a lead vest that is specifically designed for use with a pan. It covers the shoulder area and wraps the patient from front to back covering just the critical areas that are in harms way during a panoramic exposure. Click on the image below to be taken to the product information page.

Why are screen contact tests required annually?

Inspection of cassettes for good film screen contact is an often overlooked yet important quality control procedure. Poor film/screen contact can be the reason for areas of increased density, reduced density and blurring. The film that you install into your cassette is not exposed solely by radiation. It is exposed by the screens within the cassette that glow when hit by radiation. If these screens are dirty or are not in good contact with the film, they can yield poor radiographs that can possibly lead to a mis-diagnosis of a patient's condition.

Some states, like Minnesota, require screen contact testing on an annual basis. We perform this testing using a screen contact test tool which is a flat device that is about 14" x 17" consisting of a wire mesh encased in plastic.

We place the test tool on top of your cassette. Using an intra-oral, we make a uniform exposure that covers the entire cassette surface. After that, we process the film. If the film has a uniform density with a solid grid pattern and does not show areas of fogging, spotting, or blurring then it passes. Below is an example of a good screen contact test:

And here are some examples of tests that have failed for various reasons.

Poor screen film contact can sometimes be corrected by cleaning the screens using an anti-static intensifying screen cleaner such as Kodak's Anti-static Intensifying Screen Cleaner which comes in a pump spray bottle. You clean cassette screens by moistening a lint-free wipe with a small amount of screen cleaner, then rubbing the screens with the wipe. Always remember to allow the screens to dry completely before re-testing. Avoid any excessive rubbing, abrasive gauze, pouring of any solution directly onto the screens, or using an excessive amount of solution. If cleaning does not work, screen replacement would be the next step. If that does not work due to worn out cassette seals or flattened foam backings then the cassette itself will need to be replaced. Judging by how the screen test fails and how the cassette seals/foam backing look, we are normally able to recommend the course of action that will get your cassette to pass again.

We have an informational sheet from the MDH on the subject of screen contact testing available here:

http://www.rtechdental.com/documents/mnscreentest.pdf

Kodak also has a good informational page on screen contact testing, although it deals more with screen testing for mamography:

Can Peri-Pro chemistry be used in a full size AT-2000 film processor?

This question was posed by a doctor that had a bunch of Peri-Pro chemistry in the basement that he wanted to use up. He was hoping to avoid having to buy cases of full-size processor chemistry.

The first point I want to make here is this: Our recommendations have and always will be to use chemistry that is specific to the type of processor that you have. Manufacturers will adjust the quantities of component ingredients in their Chemistry formulation to match the performance and price parameters they have established for their product. Formulations also change based on the time and temperature that the chemical is designed to work under.

If you have a Gendex GXP processor, you should use GXP chemicals. If you have an Air Techniques Peri-Pro then use Peri-Pro chemistry. The use of generic or non-unit specific chemistry can cause damage or discoloration in the long term, not to mention providing you with image quality that is less than optimal.

Peri-Pro processors are designed to operate at room temperature (ideally 72-74 degrees F). Peri-Pro IIs and Peri-Pro IIIs still only heat the chemistry to 72 degrees F. Full size Air Techniques processors operate at 82 degrees F. This temperature difference would, I believe, lead to darker X-ray images if Peri-Pro chemistry were heated in the full size processor. Thus, I suggested to the doctor that he not use it as a temporary replacement.

If you would like to talk with Air Techniques directly about this, they can be reached at 1-800-AIR-TECH (800-247-8324). They are also available on the web at:

http://www.airtechniques.com/home.aspx

Disturbing X-Ray arm drifting

Today I was at Professional Drive Dental doing routine service work, when one of the hygienists mentioned to me that she was having trouble with her X-ray arm drifting.

Upon inspection of the X-ray, we found that the swing arm had cracked. After inspection of the unit, the doctors and I both agreed that the arm needed to be secured and the machine disabled until a replacement arm could be ordered and installed. Nobody ever wants the liability of a heavy tubehead crashing down on a patient's face.

We also decided it would be prudent to investigate the remaining X-ray units in the office. Low and behold there was a second arm that was also cracked but not nearly as bad as the first. We went ahead and ordered and installed an arm for that unit as well.

Not knowing if this was a fluke or something of a problem that everyone could possibly have, the doctors suggested that I recommend that other offices have their X-ray arms checked. So, if you have us in your office on a normal service call, we will happily inspect your X-ray arms for any problems.

The biggest point that I have in all of this is that I want staff to be observant of the equipment and how it is supposed to function so that they can let me know when something just isn't right. This was a good catch by the Professional Drive dental staff!

Below are pictures detailing where to check for problems:

We noticed that the horizontal arm was not horizontal.

You remove this plastic cover to look inside.

The crack on this arm was quite evident.

How do I properly use a water tester and why do we have to test the water anyhow?

We have been supplying the above water testers to anyone that has a Statim sterilizer. The Statim works by injecting distilled water under pressure into a very small boiler. This boiler immediately turns the water into steam. Within this boiler is a small temperature sensor (thermocouple) that relays the boiler temperature to the control circuitry. If you happen to use non-distilled water the thermocouple within the boiler can get coated with calcium, lime, rust, etc. Once coated it is less acurate in its readings and can cause the boiler to burn out. To avoid this problem, we use the water tester to make absolutely sure that the water that is being poured into the reservoir is as clean as possible. Generally this is considered to be anything that contains three parts per million (ppm) total disolved solids (TDS) or less. The water tester that we provide reads 0-999 ppm TDS. Below are the steps for proper testing:

1. Take gallon of water and shake it to make sure that any disolved solids that have settled on the bottom of the jug are now floating.
2. Remove the black cover from the bottom of the water tester and insert the tester into the neck of the bottle submerging the base of it approximately 1 inch into the water. It may be necessary to squeeze the jug of water to get the water level to rise enough to reach the tester.
3. Press and hold the "ON" button. Preferrably for at least 30 seconds to allow the water tester to adjust to water temperature. The unit uses a thermometer in combination with electrical conductivity to determine the ppm TDS.
4. If the reading is 003, 002, 001, or 000 then the water is acceptable for use in the statim. If not use if for some other application within the office.
5. Dry off the end of the water tester and re-cover for use next time.

So, whether you buy gallons of distilled water or make it yourself, always test every bottle prior to pouring

How do I dispose of chemiclave solution?

Hmmm.... Good question. First off, here is the MSDS sheet for Vapo-Steril:
http://www.rtechdental.com/documents/vaposterile.pdf

The MSDS sheet states the following Waste Disposal Method: "Ignitable, should be disposed of as required by hazardous waste regulations." It also states that small spills can be flushed with water, but that large spills should be collected for disposal.

Barnstead Thermolyne, the manufacturer of Chemiclave sterilizers simply state the following in their sterilizer owners manual: "Dispose of Vapo-Steril solution in accordance with all prevailing local jurisdictional requirements."

Our suggestions are as follows:

Some city municipalities will allow for discharge of small quantities of Vapo-Steril (Ethanol 72%, Methanol 4%, Formaldehyde 0.23%) down the drain. However, it is important that you verify this with them.

Most of the time we recommend reclaiming it in liquid form and delivering it for proper disposal to a company like Safety-Kleen. Below is a clickable link to their website where you can check for a location near you. There is also a link to a PDF that talks about their solution recovery service.


http://www.safety-kleen.com/staticFiles/pdfFiles/brochureInserts/Imaging%20Brochure%20-%20Healthcare%20Services.pdf

Is rectangular collimation required?

I had two doctors, Dr. Klampe and Dr. Lesch, ask me this question today. Both were concerned about costly changes to their X-ray systems that might be required by law. This question stemmed from their reading of Sullivan-Schein's "Sidekick" Autumn 2005 edition. Below are some of the quotes from the article that caught their eye.

"Note: According to the NCRP Report, Collimating your X-ray beam is required both for digital and film based X-rays."

"Collimation the X-ray beam to the precise size of the image receptor eliminates scatter radiation."

"The new report (NCRP #145) mandates the use of a rectangular collimator."

"The use of leaded aprons on patients shall not be required if all other recommendations in this Report are rigorously followed."

Ok, after researching everything, here is my take on things.

First off, NCRP stands for National Council on Radiation Protection and Measures. They can be found here: http://www.ncrponline.org/ The NCRP is not a governing body; it is a private corporation. This means that they cannot require you via mandate to do anything. Basically the council attempts to establish universally accepted norms. The council has four objectives in its charter

1. Collect, analyze, develope and disseminate in the public interest information and recommendations about protection and measurement of radiation.
2. Provide means for cooperation of organizations concerned with measurements and protections associated with radiation.
3. Develop basic concepts about radiation quantities, units, and measurements.
4. Cooperate with the Internation commission on Radiological Protection, The Federal Radiation Council, the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements, and other organizations concerned with radiation quantites, units, and measurements and with radiation protection.

Secondly, I spoke with Marge Shaw at the Minnesota Department of Health on the issue of collimation and lead vests. At present there is NO state or federal requirement for rectangular collimation. The use of lead vests in the state of Minnesota is also NOT required. She did not think that we would see anything regarding this issue even in the next year.

Thirdly, I asked myself, what are the pros/cons of this?

• Is collimation required? -- Yes. All X-ray units are required to have collimation.
• Is rectangular collimation of intra-oral X-ray units required by law -- No. Not at present.
• Is there a substantive reduction in scatter radiation by going to rectangular collimation in place of round? -- Yes! Almost a 68% reduction.
• Will this result in more chance for cone cut and consequent retakes? -- Yes.
• Are retakes counter-productive to the goal of radiation reduction? -- You bet they are! Not to mention the frustration of cone cut images and time delays associated with the retakes.
• Can the cone cut be minimized using positioning devices? -- Yes.
• Will my doctors be required to replace their X-ray machines to realize this reduction in scatter radiation through the use of rectangular collimation? -- No. We have Rectangular Position Indicating Devices (PIDs) to replace all intra-oral X-ray units and Film Positioning Instruments (FPIs) both of which are pictured below. Most of these devices and adaptations can be done for under $300 per X-ray unit. If you have interest in this conversion, please call.

Why is it important to supply soft water to wet type vacuum pumps?

Well, first off, most manufacturers of this type of vacuum system, will specifically state that their warranties are null and void if hard water is used in their products. Example:

*Apollo Dental Products by Midmark

"On vacuum products, the warranty does not cover failures due to hard water deposits. Failure to follow installation and operation procedures will void warranty."

Our first recommendation is to install a dry type vacuum system in place of a wet type system to avoid the water use. Most of these machines can gulp and discharge a gallon of water per minute per head. (1 gpm per head) When you have to run all of that water through a softener, it ends up consuming quite a bit of salt. So the best alternative is to eliminate the wet vacuum system, eliminate the water usage, and eliminate the need for a water softener.

However, for those of you who have wet type pumps it is essential that you have soft water plumbed to your vacuum pump for the following reason:

Inside of a vacuum pump is an impeller. This impeller is offset to the side of the pump housing. Many of these pumps have paper thin tolerances between the impeller and the side wall of the housing. Hard water deposits build up on the impeller as the vacuum pump runs. Eventually these deposits accumulate to the point where the impeller rubs against the housing. This buildup has a ceramic hardness to it, and causes the pump to "freeze up".

We have a motor rebuilder that has some good solid techniques that they use to repair these pumps, but it is still a costly repair and sometimes the damage is so severe that the pump just needs to be replaced. Below is a picture of the inside of a vacuum pump. You can see how close the impeller sits to one side of the housing.

Hard water can damage a new vacuum pump within a year or two of use, or it can take several years depending on how hard your water actually is.
So, just make sure your wet type pump is fed by soft water not hard.

Is Nitrous Oxide scavenging required by law?

The assistant looked concerned as she posed this question to me. You see, she was pregnant and visibly worried about it. I explained that my understanding was that it is NOT required, but is HIGHLY recommended. I told her that if I were pregnant I would not work in an operatory that did not fascillitate Nitrous Oxide scavenging. I told her that I would try and figure out what the actual agency suggestions were:

*OSHA PEL

"The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not currently regulate nitrous oxide."

*NIOSH REL

"The National Institue for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has established a recommended exposure limit (REL) for nitrous oxide of 25 parts per million (ppm) parts of air (45 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m(3))) as a time-weighted average (TWA) for the duration of the exposure [NIOSH 1992]"

*ACGIH TLV

"The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has assigned nitrous oxide threshold limit value (TLV) of 50 ppm (90mg/m(3)) as a TWA for a nominal 8-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek [ACGIH 1994, p. 28]"

*Porter Instrument Company, Inc.

"WARNING: Dental workers are exposed to Nitrous Oxide (N2O) during administration of N20/O2 conscious sedation analgesia. NIOSH has recommended the exposures should be minimized. Contact NIOSH (1-800-35-NIOSH) to receive NIOSH Publications on Control of Nitrous Oxide in Dental Opertories. Exposure can be minimized by effective controls. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) publications state that controls, including System Maintenance, Ventilation and Work Practices can effectively reduce N2O concentrations in dental operations. Your Porter Scavenger
System is an important part of the system of controls."

*Rationale for Limits

"The NIOSH limit is based on the risk of reproductive system effects and decreases in audivisual performance [NIOSH 1992]."

"The ACGIH limit is based on the risk or reproductive, hematological, and nervous system effects [ACGIH 1991, p. 1137]"

Quickly following the first question was the next, "Is there a way to test if I am being exposed to Nitrous Oxide?" Honestly, I had heard about offices that had used a badge to monitor Nitrous exposures, but was un-sure where to order them, so I told her I'd do some research on that as well. Here is what I've found:

Environmental Monitoring Technology
EMT, Inc.
121 Shivel Drive
Hendersonville, TN
37075
(800) 284-2785
(615) 824-0712
(615) 822-5989 FAX
http://www.emt-online.com/

They sell Nitrous Oxide Monitoring Kits.
NIT001 - 1 badge - $50.00
http://www.emt-online.com/ProductPages/KitsNitrous.htm

Here are some other helpful websites that have information on the topic of Nitrous Oxide:

OSHA Nitrous Oxide Guidelines

NIOSH Nitrous Oxide Guidelines

ACGIH Nitrous Oxide: TLV documentation

Porter Instruments "Is Nitrous Oxide safe?"

"Nitrous Oxide Safety" by Fred Quarnstrom, DDS, FAGD, FASDA, FICD, American Board of Dental Anestesiology, Certified Consultant, American Association of Dental Consultants

Does OSHA require weekly testing of sterilizers?

This question was posed to me today. Here's the exact wording that OSHA has to answer that, as well as text from the CDC and the AAMI:

OSHA Technical Notes No.23 states...

"OSHA is relying on guidelines published by the CDC as a widely recognized and accepted standard to be followed by employers in carrying out their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act..." March 1, 1990

CDC Guidelines state...

"Proper functioning of sterilization cycles should be verified by the periodic use (at least weekly) of biological indicators (i.e. spore tests). Heat sensitive chemical indicators (e.g. those that change color after exposure to heat) alone do not ensure adequacy of a sterilization cycle..." May 28, 1993

AAMI Standards

"Table top sterilizers should be biologically monitored during initial installation and after major repairs. In addition, sterilization loads should be biologically monitored at least once a week but preferably daily. Each load containing implantable devices should be monitored." 1998 Ed., Vol 1.1 Sterilzation in Health Care Facilities

So, as you can see from the wording above, it is highly recommended that each office perform weekly testing of all sterilizers using spore testing. Additional testing either daily or per load is even recommended. Here is what we recommend:

Weekly spore testing using the following:

Per load testing using the following:

MDH Moving to new digs

Effective September 26, 2005 Minnesota Department of Health is relocating. The new address and phone number for the MDH section of Radiation Control is as follows:

Minnesota Department of Health
Radiation Control Unit
P.O. Box 64975
St. Paul, MN 55164-0975
(651) 201-4545

Associate Search

Byron Dental Group is in search of an associate. They are looking for a dentist to help fill the space of their most recent associate, Valerie, who recently had a baby and has moved out of the area. If you are a dentist that is looking for work, or if you know of someone who could fill this void, Contact either Doug Trebtoske or Ken Zimmerman at 507-775-6445.

Resourceful Clients

There are times when I'm simply impressed by the resourcefulness of my clients. This was one of those times. On August 29th, Dr. Rohrer's office contacted me and requested that I come over and fix a processor rack that was broken. I scheduled a time for the next day, the 30th. As the need for a processor in an orthodontic practice is great, Dr. Rohrer took matters into his own very skilled hands and masterfully repaired the gear. I was so impressed with how well it looked and worked! I felt it was a terrible shame that I had to repair the rack with a standard Air Techniques idler gear replacement kit. Take a look at his skillful work (Good job Doc!):

Help the hurricane victims

1-800-HELP-NOW

Dr. Elizabeth Kellogg's new office

We want to congratulate Dr. Kellogg and her staff on their beautiful new office at 2717 Superior Dr. NW in Rochester, MN.

MAP

Metal surface painting

Last month I talked about replacing the plastic pieces on a Gendex X-Ray. One of you spoke out and asked the question, "What about the metal?" What can you do to make the metal of your X-Ray unit or your patient light look better? Here is our answer: Contact Bernie at (507) 282-5951. He runs a Surface Doctor franchise in Rochester, MN. Bernie can do electro-static painting, sandblasting, and other types surface treatments. We have used Bernie to re-paint chairs, lights, X-Ray units, and patient file cabinets.

Hilux LED Blast Curelight

We have available now a new Hilux handheld curelight gun that fascillitates LEDs. It is a cordless light with output levels over 1,000 mw/cm2. It is a cordless light with a long battery life that will deliver 750 five second cures with an overnight charge. The gun uses standard "Demetron style" 11mm light guides. We have been mailing out information cards on this curelight with recent invoicing. Check out the Hilux LED Blast Curelight.

Gendex 770 Plastic Covers

Gendex 770 X-Ray units have a set of white plastic pieces that cover all of the critical parts of the X-Ray. It turns out that the plastic Gendex used in many of their earlier Gendex 770s would yellow when exposed to light over long periods of time. This tended to make the X-Ray unit look old and somewhat ugly. We all know that you like it when a patient enters your operatory and finds everything aesthetically pleasing. So in order to repair this problem, Gendex has available a complete GX-770 Plastic replacement kit. Installation is a snap and the end result is dramatic. It will look like you have a new X-Ray unit hanging on the wall.

Sterilizer Seals

Recently it seems, we have had quite a few sterilizer service calls. Most of these calls could have been avoided if the office staff had been changing the sterilizer seals on a quarterly basis. Due to the heating and cooling, most sterilizer seals become hard and actually shrink in size. This makes it easier for steam or vapor to escape usually leading to some type of sterilizer failure or damage. At R-Tech, we recommend that all offices maintain a stock of replacement seals for their sterilizers. We have them available for all sterilizers in our sterilizer parts area. The statim cassette seal can be especially difficult to change so we have developed a do-it-yourself sheet. We will be happy to show you how to do any sterilizer seal replacements.

Loss of a friend

We are saddened by the loss of Dr. Stephen R. Springmeyer, a dentist from Southern Heights Dental Group in Faribault, MN. He died unexpectedly on Monday, July 18, 2005 at his home.

I always appreciated Dr. Sprigmeyer's jokes, laughs, and warm cheerful spirit. Our condolences go out to his family and to the staff of Southern Heights Dental Group. We will all miss you "Springs!"

- Michael Wiltrout

Mint-A-Kleen vs. Mouthwash

Today we received a call from a doctor who was expressing a concern. He had noted that the ingredient list of a mouthwash that was available from his supplier matched the ingredient list of Mint-A-Kleen. His concern stemmed from a price difference between the two products. We contacted Anodia Systems, the manufacturer of Mint-A-Kleen, for their input. While Mint-A-Kleen does contain 0.12% Chlorhexidine Gluconate and 8.5% Ethanol it also includes specialized lubricants that are designed to help it flow. We were told that if the doctor decided to try the regular mouthwash that he would soon find that his unit would become "gummed-up". So, we wanted to let all of you know that though Mint-A-Kleen does share some of the same ingredients as a common Chlorhexidine mouthwash it is most definitely not the same thing.

London Bombings

My heart aches when I think about the people of London having to cope with their recent losses. A cold chill runs down my spine when I think about people who care so little about their own lives, that they are willing to die, just to inflict so much pain, suffering, and death on so many innocent people. I just hope the the people of the world have the resolve to deal with these attacks. England's people are strong and they have survived much worse.

Spore Testing Safety Check

From time to time I get a call from an office who has been told by SPS Medical or some other spore testing laboratory that the sterilizer in their office has failed a spore test. They are then told not to discontinue use of that sterilizer until it has been re-tested and passed. That wait can be too long for some offices, especially if said office only has one sterilizer. This can be stressful for both of us. First off it has been and always will be our recommendation that an office retain or acquire a "back-up" sterilizer for situations like this.

We have both rental units and loaner units available, but sometimes the delay between when you get a fail and when we are able to get out with a sterilizer may be hours, or sometimes even days. We rent sterilizers when service work is being done by someone other than us. Loaner sterilizers are always free to any of our customers that use us to repair their broken sterilizer.

Many times this "spore-test failure" can be due to user error. (A common failure is over-loading the chamber or not securing the spore test to the wire rack inside of a Stat-m.) If a user error causes a spore test failure, it can be extremely frustrating.

We have a product available that can be run in every cycle, or when you are having troubles with a sterilizer and want to be assured of a good cycle. The test strips are referred to as SSIs (Steam Sterilization Intergrators) and the manufacturer considers them to be equal to spore tests in effectiveness. The SSIs are available in boxes of 100 tests. We recommend that SSIs not be used as replacements for weekly testing of your sterilizer. However, use of these SSI tests can be a very helpful tool when quick reliable testing of your sterilizer is required.

Foreign Mission Dental Trips

If you are planning on going on a foreign mission trip to some remote place abroad and you need the tools to perform dentistry, please give us a call. We work with a company called DNTLworks. They produce delivery systems that are built into a tackle box.



These delivery systems have their own compressor and even suction systems (ProCare II). They must be ordered in either a 120VAC or 230VAC configuration so it is necessary to determine what type of AC power is available in the country that you plan to operate in. I have also been able to help doctors adapt these and other delivery units like this so that they run off of scuba diving tanks, which can be lugged to the most remote areas and still allow you to provide fairly advanced services.

I have a list of several doctors that make foreign mission trips a part of their yearly schedule. It is amazing how much help talking to someone who does this type of trip on a regular basis can be. They have the tools, they have the knowledge and the wisdom to know how to properly plan a trip like this. For my part, I have donated time, equipment and/or supplies from dismantled offices whenever there has been a need and I have had the ability.

Keeping the Darkroom Dark

We have some suggestions on keeping your darkroom dark:

1. The majority of darkroom failures revolve around the door not being "light-tite". The best solution for bad darkroom doors is to replace them with a metal exterior door with a threshold and magnetic seals around the edges.
   
   
   However, outside of door replacement, here is the website for ZERO DRAFT where you can find many different seal types that will aid you in keeping the light out. The C-Folds and Alumafin seals work well.
   
   
   
   Many of these kinds of seals are available at your local hardware store.
   
2. Check your safelight for white light leaks. These can come from an improperly sealed safelight or a filter that is cracked or peeling. We can get replacement filters for your safe light (just call). For present day film types, the filter should be at Kodak GX-2 type or equivalent filtration levels, the bulb should not exceed 15Watts (most people will use a 7.5 Watt nightlight bulb), and the distance between the safelight and the counter and top of processor must be at least 4 feet.
   
   
3. Drop in ceilings are notorious for letting light from adjacent rooms into the darkroom. Our suggestions for this are to cover the ceiling above the tiles in thick insulation and possibly a heavy mil black plastic being sure to seal the edges.

Replacement Stool Casters

I'll bet that you spend a large part of your day sitting. That's not to say that you are not working, but you do sit. Your stool rolls on the floor constantly. The stool's casters rack up the miles and they wear out. So what do you do when your stool doesn't roll the way it should anymore? You call us! We feature the Master Manufacturing line of casters.

The Master casters are of superior construction to most of the casters used in the dental industry. Caster selection is a bit of a science. On hard surfaces (ie linoleum, hardwood floors) you should use a soft rubber caster and on soft surfaces (ie carpet) you should use a hard caster. So if you have new flooring installed and it is different that what you had before, make sure that you have us change your stool casters so that you do not damage your new flooring. We will come out and use a tool to determine the caster stem size (18 stem sizes), type (11 styles), and finish (9 finishes) that you need. We stock on our service truck some common sizes and types, but due to the wide range of possibilities it is likely that we would measure the stool casters and then order what you needed.

Assistant Needed

Family Dentist Tree in Rochester, MN is looking for a Certified Registered Dental Assistant (CRDA) starting at the end of this month. If you have interest, please contact Lori Stackhouse, their office manager, at (507) 288-1188.

Stat-m Check Valve

About 2 weeks ago, I had a SciCan statim sterilizer that had a check valve that had failed. The check valve's job is to prevent steam from getting into the air compressor. During the drying cycle, this air compressor turns on and pumps air through the check valve, the boiler, and the cassette effectively drying the instruments. Normally the noise that is generated by this compressor is a low hum. I quickly found however that when the compressor was used with any of the new check valves, it produced a far louder buzz noise. SciCan had switched from an old style of check valve to a new style that permitted a larger flow of air. The compressor was simply too loud to be acceptable when the new check valve was used. So I mentioned it to John, our company's inventor and he worked on it and came up with this:


John has installed a clear/white Statim 5000 biological filter between the air compressor (lower left) and the boiler's check valve (mid picture) This is beneficial for several reasons: It reduces the noise considerably, it provides biological filtration for the compressor's drying air, it provides a safety barrier for moisture possibly preventing failure of the $665 air compressor, and it permits the use of the new high flow check valve. We have contacted SciCan to let them know about this problem, but for now if your stat-m is loud during the drying cycle, we can install this and minimize the noise problem.

SE District Meeting

The 92nd Southeastern District Dental Society has its annual meeting on Friday, August 26th, 2005 at Mississippi National Golf Links in Historic Red Wing, MN.

Doctor Wanted

Kasson Dental is looking for a new dentist for their practice. If you or someone you know has interest, contact Dr. Scott Winkle, D.D.S. at (507) 634-6421.

Instrument Re-tipping

I was asked about instrument re-tipping today. It is a subject that I really don't know too much about. Aside from repairing old Rx Honing machines that help keep instrument tips sharp, I usually don't have anything to do with general hand instruments. There is a local company that does specialize in instrument re-tipping. Below is their information:

Prophy Power
11538 172nd St W.
Lakeville, MN 55044
(952) 898-1594
(800) 484-1054 (7271)

Prophy Power specializes in high quality dental instrument retipping featuring a 5 business day turnaround.

Star Wars III Release

Today is the theatrical release of "Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith". I'm a science fiction nut, so I just could not resist mentioning it. May the force be with you.

Processor Rack Replacement

Just as a reminer to everyone that we have all types of processor racks available for replacement if you are having any problems with dirty films, sluggish processing, or racks that have lost a few too many teeth. :)




Also, in order to comply with state required daily testing of your processor's temperature, we have the following temperature test guage available:

SolmeteX Filter Issues

Today I spoke with Al Dubé, the local rep for SolmeteX amalgam separators. I had two questions for him.

The first was regarding some offices that had reported a smell from their vacuum pumps after the addition of an amalgam separator. -- Any vacuum system that is not sealed or exhausted to the outside is susceptible to the odor of biologicals that are trapped in the amalgam cartridges. Most enzymatic cleaners do little to help with this smell. Al suggested that the introduction of a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to the evacuator will go a long way towards eliminating that odor.

The second was the problem that we have when large amounts of prophy paste quickly fill amalgam traps. -- Amalgam separators are designed to trap even the smallest pieces of debris. Anything that makes it back to the vacuum pump is caught by these filters. So, unless the hygiene operatories are plumbed to specifically bypass the amalgam separator, the prophy paste will end up in the trap. Al said that plumbing all hygiene evacuators so that they bypass the separator is the only way to effectively minimize how quickly the canisters fill.

We highly recommend SolmeteX Amalgam separators for use in all of our dental offices.

MDA Star of the North Meeting

MDA's Star of the North meeting is this weekend. I will be busy working on Friday while everyone is away and as I am a RYSA soccer coach, I will be busy Saturday making sure that my players kick the ball into the right goal. I hope that everyone has a good meeting and enjoys checking out all of the new toys. I'm always happy to talk with anyone that has post-meeting questions about equipment or new technology.

The Star of the North website is available here:

Handpiece Lubricant Availability

We have been receiving multiple calls from people about handpiece lubricants that are no longer available. First Clavesafe by DCI was no longer available and now most recently, Phase Change has been reported to not be available. Both of these are very good and widely used handpiece lubricants. I know that we had heard about a lubricant plant closing when we were told that Clavesafe was no longer available. Since that closing, we have been recommending Lubricleanse to all of our clients as it uses the same method of application and it costs less. These lubricants are all of the same type or "family". So, to answer everyone's question, use it in place of Clavesafe or Phase Change and achieve the same level of lubrication that your handpieces are used to.

New Pediatric Office Open

Dentistry for Children and Adolescents, Ltd. had their open house this evening at their new location on 2743 Superior Dr. NW in Rochester, MN, and it was wonderful. We congratulate Dr. Robyn Loewen, Dr. Candy Mensing, and staff on their beautiful new office and we wish them well.

Tax Day / X-Ray Rule Change

Happy Tax Day everyone! I'm presently ducking as people throw things at me. :)

Just wanted everyone to be aware, if they are not already, that on October 18, 2004 the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) published in the State Register its request for comments on the repeal of Chapter 4730 and replacement with Chapter 4732. In English, this replaces the old X-Ray rules with new ones that address newer technology and streamline many of the old requirements. They are hosting several public forums at various locations. Visit this web address for more information or to register to attend one.

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/radiation/xray/

The proposed Chapter 4732 is also available here.

OSHA & Radiation Training

Several people recently have asked me who I recommend for OSHA and Radiation training for the staff. For many years, I have referred my clients to Sharon Ballin. Sharon provides an excellent service that complements the X-Ray calibration services that I am able to provide. Her presentations are detailed and very thorough. If you are in need of either type of training seminar, I would recommend that you contact her and setup an appointment. Sharon's contact information can be found here.

Doctor Wanted

Southern Cities Community Health in Faribault, MN is looking for a dentist that is interested in working about 1 day a week. Contact Wanda at 507-333-2028 for more details.

We are considering a job hunt/search area for the website as we get many people who ask us. Let us know what you think about that.

The OGC Group

We want to take time to thank John Determan of The OGC Group for his hard work putting this site together. We would recommend him highly to anyone who wants to establish a presence on the web.

Work still continues to progress on our exciting new website. It will be months before all of our inventory is entered and available. However, we have introduced several new tools.

First of which is a feature that allows you to download a catalog of present used equipment, new equipment, or parts that we have listed on our website. The link for the catalog generation feature is at the bottom of every inventory item page.

Secondly our search tool has been re-tooled so that it actively searches all of our inventory, all of our helpful do-it-yourself PDF format documents and all other text information on our site. Looking for something while you are here? Use the search tool.

R-Tech Dental on the Web

Welcome to the new home for R-Tech Dental on the web! We are very excited about our new site. Although there is much work to be done to make it a more useful place for our clients, we are continually moving in the right direction. This website will be filled with a wealth of our knowledge of dental equipment and it's proper maintenance, a listing of used equipment that we have, a large list of available parts and new equipment, and much much more! We value you, our clients and hope that this new added service is beneficial to you.

Acceptable SolmeteX Amalgam Separator Cleaners

Many offices are having us install new SolmeteX Amalgam separators. These separators work exceptionally well. They do have one weakness though. Vacuum line cleaners that have a pH less than 4 can cause the Kylex inside of the filter cartridge to plug up. If you have any question whether you are using an acceptable vacuum line enzymatic cleaner with your new Amalgam separator or not, please refer to this list of acceptable line cleaners.

Handpiece Cord Retractor

We have come up with a neat way to keep handpiece hoses out of the way! This tends to only work well with 12 o'clock delivery units. We mount a keychain recoil device (pictured below) to the cabinet and then tie the end of the recoil cord to the bottom of the handpiece hose. When you pull the handpiece hose out, the keychain recoil device releases cord and when you are finished, the keychain recoil pulls the excess handpiece hose back into the cabinet.

Visa & Mastercard are Now Accepted

At the request of many of our clients, R-Tech Dental of MN now accepts Master Card and Visa. We know that you all like those airline miles! So, now you can pay for the same great R-Tech service and not have to lift a pen to write a check. We can setup your account to always charge to your credit card, or you can use it to make payments at your discretion. Thanks!