Until recently the failure of an Electric High Speed Handpiece attachment has meant two to eight weeks of down time and repair costs in the area of $600.00.  This was caused by the tight control of parts and tools by the handpiece manufacturers.  The manufacturers typically replace all internal parts when the handpieces come to them for repair.

R-Tech has been working hard to locate the tools and the parts needed to improve the problem with these high costs and extended down times.  We are glad to let you know that we are presently able to repair a percentage of these handpiece attachments like the Kavo 25 LPA and LPR as well as W&H 99, Bien Air CA1:5, and NSK Ti 95.  By using special tools and techniques we can replace failed bearings in these handpieces.  We have located sources of the highest quality ceramic bearings so that our repairs are durable and on a par with the OEM repair facilities.  Furthermore we can repair your handpiece the day we receive it and get it back to you immediately.

We have the best chance of effecting repair of one of these handpieces if it is sent to us before there is a total failure of the head.  When there is a total failure the gears become damaged and the attachment must be sent to the factory for the $600.00 treatment.

Here are the signs of early failure so you can catch the handpieces in time for us to replace just the bearings.

#1 Black colored oil or debris coming from the head area.

#2 Eccentricity in the rotation of the bur. This will probably be felt as a vibration when cutting before it is visible.

#3 Any axial movement of the bur. This can be tested by inserting a bur in the chuck and then pulling and pushing back and forth. If a looseness is felt a failure is impending.

#4 Unusual noise or grinding.

If you watch for these symptoms and catch the problem early you will increase the percentage of handpieces we can fix and avoid sending in to the manufacturer.

All handpieces sent to us for this repair are opened and inspected to determine that the gears and support parts are in good enough shape to justify bearing replacement.  Damage to the gears or support structure still requires that the handpiece be sent to the manufacturer for service.  There is no charge for the inspection if the handpiece has to be sent in and we continue to offer a discount on the factory repair costs.

Thanks
John Wiltrout
R-Tech Dental

If you are looking for a good way to test your dental unit waterlines to determine if they meet CDC guidelines of less than 500 Colony Forming Units / mL then look no further.  We have the solution for you!

ProEdge Dental Product’s waterline test kits

PRODUCT INFORMATION

We are happy to announce that the Red Wing Dental Care Clinic, with our help, opened on May 26th 2011.  They have a total of three operatories and digital X-Ray capabilities.  They are treating the underpriveledged.  The clinic is grateful for the leadership of the Administrative Director – Neela Mollgaard, The Dental Director – Dr. Nancy Bremseth, and the participation of local dentists and dental health professionals.

CARE CLINIC Connection April – July 2011

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.

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)

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.

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

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!

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)

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.

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

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

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.

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

Matt Wiltrout is our upholstery specialist. What Matt 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. Almost everyone is aware that we do reupholstery of chairs at the shop. 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: Matt
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 a call at 715-723-0737.

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

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