Just How Clean is Clean ?

There was a time when dentists would treat patients without donning gloves and with instruments that were merely dipped in boiling water for a few minutes to clean them. HIV and Hepatitis were not household names then. Viruses didn't figure in lay people's vocabularies or minds. 

Today the only people who don't know or worry about infections are either the very ill informed or the very brave. 

Since most patients figure in neither of the above categories, doctors and dentists all over the world have realized that being lax with regard to sterilization and people's safety is no longer acceptable or pardonable. Also it works both ways. Keeping a strict hygiene protocol ensures that the dentist also does not contract any disease from the patient. We owe it to our families. 

At Dr Arya's we realized long ago that a perfunctory attitude to Sterilization and Hygiene just won't cut it. Right from the inception of our clinic we have been particular with regard to every detail regarding sterilization and infection control.

What do we do right :

1. THE RIGHT CHOICE

A lot of doctors boast about no longer boiling instruments but autoclaving them. Just autoclaving instruments is not nearly enough. The right autoclave matters. The recommended autoclave for Dental Instruments is a Class B autoclave. In these autoclaves the air is removed by a mechanical pump to create a vacuum before steam is introduced into the chamber. This ensures complete and adequate sterilization. Class B Sterilizers ensure the safety of doctors, their staff and patients and legally protects their practice.

2. THE RIGHT USE

We NEVER re-use gloves. Neither examination nor surgical. Washing and drying and reusing gloves is something we have never ever done. We spend much more because of this one little practice. But we believe it is totally worth the expense.  Disposables are Disposables. This means that the plastic cups that patients use to rinse their mouths are NEVER washed and reused again. The same applies for suction tips, tissue papers and all other disposables.

3. THE RIGHT PROTOCOL

You can wash and clean and autoclave an instrument but if you store it improperly - it all amounts to naught.  We bag each instrument individually before autoclaving. After the cycle is complete each instrument remains in its individual sealed pouch. We only open pouches when the patient is in the chair and we are about to begin the procedure. 

4. THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

We know several dentists that work with patients without masks and sometimes without gloves. And when there is a known HIV positive case or a patient with tuberculosis - they will be scrambling to wear double gloves and double masks. We find that attitude senseless. You can never know what patient is carrying what disease. Not everyone has symptoms. It is better to treat every patient with the same kind of protection and care. This ensures that you contract nothing and you transfer nothing harmful as well. Forget about big diseases - we do not want you to catch even the common cold from us. 

We don't save lives. At least not like heart specialists and surgeons. But we do make a difference. 

However our work will have no meaning if we end up harming or compromising our patients in any way. 

Your health is as important to us as it is to you. 

For more information log on to http://aryasdentalclinic.com/

Is your Dentist using six handed dentistry ?

Imagine a situation like this in your everyday life. You are the master chef standing in front of a stove. You have two sous chefs cutting, chopping, washing, cleaning, broiling - all you need to do is take the items they hand you and put it into the vessel, season it and bring the whole dish together. You decide the time it is to be cooked and the degree. But you don't have to move your eyes away from the stove for even a second unless you wanted to because everything peripheral is being handled by your sous chefs. That is six handed cooking :)

For those of you visiting dentists since years - you will remember the day when for every step the dentist would get up - move around - collect equipment - materials etc. Sometimes he would hold the suction himself with his left hand while working with the right. i.e if there was suction in the first place in the clinic. 

Most dentists would work standing up for the majority of procedures and usually the patient would be seated upright. 

Today working in such a position is almost unheard of. 

Most patients are treated in supine ( lying down) positions and dentists are almost always seated. Working without an assistant is considered ridiculously inconvenient. Dentists usually work with at least 1 assistant - positioned immediately next to him on the patient's left. The assistant's hands along with the doctor's make for 4 hands. However today even this is considered outdated. Most dentists today prefer to work with 2 assistants. If there are 2 assistants - it means 6 hands are all working towards one procedure. 

Most dentists today don't move from their chair. Once seated they position their patients in such a way that maximum visibility and access is achieved while at the same time both doctor and patient are comfortable. The assistants do all the moving about, handing him instruments, materials, holding the suction etc. 

So what's in all this for you? As a patient? 

Why is four handed/six handed dentistry important for the patient? What do you have to gain?

1. Dentistry is faster. With more people helping - the doctor is free to spend all his time on your treatment alone which brings down treatment time rapidly.

2. It is better. Since the doctor is not distracted by small auxiliary procedures - he is able to deliver better service because he can concentrate on the procedure. 

3. Infection control. The doctor does not touch materials/equipment other than those essential to your procedure. The rest are touched/handled by the assistants making transfer of micro-organisms less likely.

If your dentist works uses 6 handed dentistry it means he/she is keeping up with the demands of today's standards of dentistry and is trying to ensure that you get the best possible treatment available ( obviously other factors count too).  

For more information  mail us at drarysclinic@gmail.com

Or check out our website www.aryasdentalcare.com