Modern Ultrasonic Debridement and Aerosol Management with Chrissy Ford, RDH - a podcast by ACT Dental

Modern Ultrasonic Debridement and Aerosol Management
Episode #347 with Chrissy Ford, RDHAerosol management is vital during COVID-19. And the limits on ultrasonics and other aerosol-producing procedures creates a perfect opportunity for clinicians to relearn forgotten protocols for hand instruments and ultrasonics. Today’s expert, Chrissy Ford, founder and CEO of Advanced Hygiene Solutions, shares tips, techniques, and things to consider when returning to manual procedures. She also shares advice for effectively and efficiently using ultrasonics to maximize comfort and hygiene for patients. For the best practices on getting the most out of ultrasonics for COVID-19 and beyond, listen to Episode 347 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:Aerosol capture should be the number-one consideration during COVID-19.
Now, more than ever, the quality of hand instruments is very important.Returning to hand instruments, ergonomics for hygienists should be considered.
There is a lack of ultrasonic insert selection in most clinics.Many hygienists are not using the correct ultrasonic inserts for each case.
They are also using a higher power setting than necessary, which creates more aerosols.Hygienists are forgetting to check their inserts for wear, which reduces clinical performance.ReLeaf, DryShield, and Isodry is not recommended for primary aerosol capture.
When used correctly, HVE can be 90% to 98% effective in aerosol reduction.Quotes:
“What is hygiene going to look like during COVID-19 and beyond? Obviously, none of us have that crystal ball. Some of us are back to work, so some people have that sense a little bit more than others, what it’s going to look like. Obviously, it’s going to look different for different people, depending on where you are, depending on what your state and your provincial guidelines are going to allow you to be doing. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of us are going to be limiting our aerosol-producing procedures for a while. So, our polishing, our airflow debridement, our ultrasonic scaling, is going to be set aside for a little bit.” (00:57—01:31)“Many hygienists are cringing at the thought of hand scaling only. And don't get me wrong, I'm right there with you. But we have to persevere through that and push through and know that we’re going to be doing this for our patients. And they need us.” (01:33—01:47)“Life without ultrasonics, que the tear down my face. I know a lot of hygienists are feeling the same. We rely on our ultrasonics a lot. And what is that going to mean for our hygiene appointments? It is going to mean an increased time to get that same job done. So, obviously, we know we’re not going back to business as normal, seeing eight patients a day. But we’re going to need longer to get the same job done, and hand scaling takes longer than our ultrasonic use on heavier cases.” (02:00—02:28)
“We want to be thinking about ergonomics for the hygienist and that clinical strain. Our bodies have been off work for a while, and that muscle memory has been gone. And now, we’re hand scaling. And it’s hard, ergonomically.” (02:29—02:41)“When we get to that point that we can pick up our ultrasonic scalers again, we want to make sure that we’re going to be using them effectively and efficiently, not only to minimize the exposure of our risk with aerosols during COVID-19 but, obviously, we want to make sure that we’re going to be having good clinical outcomes while we’re doing that, and also for patient comfort as well.” (04:21—04:40)
“How are we going to get the most out of our ultrasonics? Lots of different factors with this, but it is essential for the clinicians to operate the ultrasonic scaling device at a minimum effective power for the task at hand. Proper tip selection is a critical step in the implementation of effective and efficient debridement without having unnecessary root damage.” (04:42—05:08)“One thing that I want to talk about is what I notice when I...

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