Dental Instrument Washers

Dental Instrument washers are rapidly growing in popularity in dental offices. When they were first introduced a few years ago, many people (including myself) discounted them as another expensive piece of equipment that the dental companies were trying to get their customers to buy. Perception changes with time, and many dentists now consider an instrument washer to be a must have piece of equipment in a dental office.

Traditionally, dental instruments are cleaned first by scrubbing, then by immersing into an ultrasonic cleaner for a period of time. There are a few problems with this. Scrubbing is dangerous, and leaves the door open for a staff member to cut himself and potentially get sick. Ultrasonic cleaners aren’t really that efficient, and are almost always used improperly, with the lid off, aerating bacteria and germs into the air of the operatory.

Dental instrument washers change all of this. Essentially, they look like a dishwasher. Your instruments (hopefully in IMS cassettes) are placed into the racks, and when full the machine is run. The instruments come out sanitized (which is not the same as sterilized), and are ready to be wrapped and placed into the sterilizer.

Some dentists try to use a standard household dishwasher in place of these machines. I don’t recommend this, as there are many differences. For one, the dental machine superheats the water inside the machine at up to 200*F. Dishwashers are limited to 140*F, and that temperature variation makes a significant difference in the efficacy of the machine.

Dental Instrument Washers use specially formulated cleaners that won’t corrode or discolor your instruments, and are backed by warranties and trained service technicians for use in a dental office. Perhaps most importantly, these devices are registered and licensed as medical equipment and approved for use in a dental facility.

There are many brands of dental instrument washers on the market, with the SciCan Hydrim and the Miele G 7881 being the two most popular. Personally, I think that the Miele is a much better machine. In my opinion it is constructed better, easier to use, and has less problems in the field once installed. However, both are quite effective. You can learn more about these machines at http://www.scican.com and http://www.dentaldisinfector.com.