How long do my dental hygiene instruments last?
Is there a lifespan for dental hygiene instruments? How often do they need to be replaced?
The longevity of dental hygiene instruments is almost as popular a question as paper up or paper down in the autoclave. But this one does not come with the clear-cut answer of checking the instructions for use on your sterilizer. In fact, I liken this query to the Tootsie Pop question. If you’re old enough, you may remember the owl in the Tootsie Pop commercial answering how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. He says, “One, two, thrrreeee” … and then bites the Tootsie Pop. There are a lot of variables in how one eats a Tootsie Pop, just as there are variables in how you use your instruments and, therefore, how long they last.
Most manufacturers say hand instruments last six to 18 months, and power tips last six to 12 months. Some of you might be scratching your heads thinking about your cassette and the ancient instruments you have been using. I have been in offices where the instruments are clearly over the five-year mark. Or they may have even celebrated their 10th birthday. It’s almost impossible for those instruments to still be effective.
When we use instruments past their prime, we are not only ineffective, leaving burnished calculus or simply missing deposits, but we could also be hurting ourselves. Worn-out instruments take longer to do the job of a new, effective instrument. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t have extra time in my appointments! Ineffective instruments force us to increase our pressure and pinch force to get the job done. This is bad for our bodies and uncomfortable for the patient.
Before determining how long your instruments are effective, look at how you use them.
- How many patients do you see in a day? Eight, 10, 20?
- How many sets do you have? How often is each cassette getting used and sterilized in a day?
- What is your patient population like? What do your procedures look like? Are you doing mostly healthy prophys, or do you see a lot of perio patients?
- What is your instrument selection like? Do you have the same five to six instruments you use all the time? Or do you have a wide variety to choose from? Do you have specific cassettes for appointment types?
- What is your power-to-hand-scaling ratio? What kind of workout are your hand instruments getting versus your power scalers?
These are all great questions that will affect how long your instruments last. Check out this awesome Instrument Lifespan Calculator to help you figure out how long instruments last in your op.
How to extend the life of your instruments
When it comes to hand instruments, we all know a sharp one will do the job much better than a dull one. But how many of us take the time to sharpen our instruments? In fact, how many of us are good at sharpening our instruments? I’m calling myself out here. I can turn a curette into a sickle like nobody’s business!
Using a sharpening guide like the Gleason Guide by PDT or the DISC Sharpener by Premier can help you keep the proper angle when sharpening so you don’t end up tragically modifying your instrument. Or if it’s just not your jam, look into a sharpening service. Many hygienists have started side gigs sharpening instruments, and companies like Nordent and HuFriedy have sharpening programs.
Power scaling inserts need to be measured regularly using the proper wear guide specific to that tip. Traditional power tips lose efficacy as they wear. After 2 mm of wear, the tip is 50% less effective. After 3 mm of wear, it needs to be replaced. This isn’t just marketing to sell more tips. As the tip wears, the amplitude, or stroke length, decreases, which causes you to need more strokes and use more pressure. If you are using magnetostrictive technology (meaning not piezo), the DuraTip Ultrasonic Tip by Parkell does not lose efficacy as it wears due to the way the connecting body transfers power to the tip. But you still need to measure this tip and replace it at 3 mm of wear.
Follow the instructions for use when reprocessing
Hand and power instruments have been destroyed in reprocessing no matter how old or how often they’ve been used. Take a moment to read the instructions for use for your instruments. Ensure the enzymatic cleaner or instrument washer product is compatible with them. Many of the resin handles cannot withstand soaking in water for hours, so if you can’t reprocess your instruments right away, consider an enzymatic spray instead of a soak.
And don’t skip the rinsing step. Instruments need to be thoroughly rinsed to remove excess chemicals from instrument washers and ultrasonics that could damage handles. It is often recommended that you rinse with deionized or distilled water to avoid any mineral deposits caking on before drying, packing, and sterilizing. Check manufacturing default settings and adjust based on your office needs to help your instruments last longer.
Set an instrument budget
Instead of wishing for the instrument fairy to come and replace all your instruments, get proactive. Sit with your dentist or purchasing manager and set up a monthly instrument budget. That way, you aren’t asking for a huge sum of money once a year. Instead, it becomes an expectation that each month, you will order some instruments. Then come up with a system. Perhaps one month, you might replace your Barnharts, and the next month you could look at your power scaling tips. Watch for sales and pool together with your colleagues for “buy some, get some free” deals.
Instruments can be a touchy subject. So many hygienists I talk to are stuck using broken, dull, and ineffective instruments because their office refuses to purchase new ones. I even know hygienists who have taken on the expense themselves and bought their own instruments. In a perfect world, we all have what we need to provide the best care for our patients and preserve our bodies. It all starts with awareness.
