Most dentists who have been practicing for a few years will remember the 20/20 expose on dental water line contamination. The story ran tests comparing the water from a dental delivery system to water from a public toilet bowl, showing that the water in the toilet was actually cleaner than the dentist’s water. It sparked quite a frenzy in the dental industry, with manufacturers introducing bottled water systems and water line flushing kits, and dentists buying them like crazy.
It’s common sense really, Garbage in = Garbage out. Computer programmers have been using this saying for years, but it applies to almost every industry. Having a bottled water system allows you to use high quality distilled water, treat the water with a drop-in tablet, and put your mind at ease.
In addition to the health benefits of clean water, there are also other reasons to use bottled water systems. When the delivery system is shut off at the end of the day, the air in the bottle bleeds out. There is no risk of a water leak causing a flood in your office because the bottle only holds 750ml of water; even the largest water bottles hold slightly less than 2Litres.
In addition, for those of you building a new practice, you can skip running a water line to the delivery system. That omission can save you thousands of dollars in capital costs during construction, and also simplifies the plumbing in the building.
A water bottle system is simple; here’s how they work. Air is forced into a closed container of water at a pressure of about 40psi. Water escapes through a straw that goes down to the bottom of the bottle. The principle is the same as blowing into a child’s drinking box – when you remove your lips, juice will squirt out. The straw from the bottle is tied into the water line going to the dental delivery head.
Bottled water systems require very little maintenance. As long as you use bottles designed for pressurized systems (no pop bottles), and keep the pressure around 40psi, the kit will probably outlive the rest of the equipment in your office.
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