As your clinic grows past approximately eight operatories, the demands placed on your mechanical room equipment begin to grow exponentially. I have seen many 10 room clinics run on an MC-202 suction machine with good success – but when one suction motor fails, the office slows to a crawl. An old Copeland headed MDT compressor can easily run a clinic of this size – until one of the heads locks up. When that occurs, the compressor runs continuously, trying to keep up with the demand placed upon it.

Having major equipment breakdowns are costly, not just due to the repair cost, but also because of lost productivity in the office. To mitigate some of the risk of failed equipment, many large dental offices are now doubling up equipment in the mechanical room. Two compressors, two suctions, plumbed independently of each other, with a crossover valve in between them. This works best in a dental office with divided operatories. For example, an office with operatories on each side of a long hallway could plumb each side into its own suction machine. This effectively reduces the demand on the suction by one half. In the event of failure, you can simply turn a valve, and restore full vacuum to the clinic.

This is easiest to accomplish during the construction phase, but most offices can be refitted in some manner at a minimal cost. Spending twice as much money on equipment isn’t appealing to everybody, but compared to the cost of having a large practice sit idle for a day due to breakdown, it just might be one of the best investments you can make.

Tags: Dental Air & Vacuum Systems, Dental Equipment

It is also important to ensure that there is a clear vision for the dentist an the assistant at all times while treating the patient. That is why the HVE is important.

The video below demonstrates the advantage of an angle base HVE device and its use.



Tags: Dental Air & Vacuum Systems, Dental Equipment

To combat this, dental equipment manufacturers recommend cleaning your suction lines frequently. I recommend using a dental line cleaner mixed with hot water. Simply fill a quart jar with hot water and cleaner, and then suck the jar empty with the HVE (High Volume Oral Evacuation). Repeat the process with the Saliva Ejector. Move from operatory to operatory, starting with the room furthest from the mechanical room. By the time you have made it to the last operatory, the lines will have been thoroughly cleaned. This should be done at the end of every work day. If you haven’t been cleaning the lines regularly you will probably notice a lot of debris coming out of the lines, but this will gradually subside as the built up material is flushed away.

When choosing a vacuum line cleaner don’t just blindly pick one from a catalog. Dental suction machine manufacturers usually each have their own cleaner that they recommend, and with the recent addition of amalgam separators to most dental offices, the separator companies also have cleaners that they make and/or recommend.

For best results use a cleaner that is compatible with both pieces of equipment, but when faced with contradictory information between the two, choose the cleaner that the amalgam separator company recommends. The reason for this is that the amalgam separator is made out of plastic, and harsh chemicals damage the plastic and cause cracks on the body of the machine. Over time this will lead to leaks and reduced performance.

Ensuring that your suction lines are clean will improve the performance of your vacuum system, reducing costly breakdowns and making your work experience better. For more information, or for cleaner recommendations, talk with your service technician.

Tags: Dental Air & Vacuum Systems, Dental Equipment

This system has been used in dental offices for decades with good results. The downside however, is water use. The water is generally supplied by a 3/8 inch water line that runs unrestricted anytime the pump is on. An average dental office with a wet ring vacuum pump can use as many as 57,000 gallons of water per year! Some doctors may be concerned about the environmental effects of this, but all dentists should be concerned about the financial effects.

Dry vacuum machines, which don’t use any water, have been around for a while in the dental business with mixed results. Initially, the machines were nothing more than beefed-up Shop Vac machines. They were expensive, difficult to maintain, and had poor vacuum performance.

That has changed with the introduction of the RamVac in recent years. Still expensive, but now ultra reliable and easy to service, the RamVac has incredible vacuum performance. RamVac is a new style of dental vacuum pump system with its inspiration coming from the agricultural industry. The pump is separate from the actual vacuum line, which dumps waste into a holding tank, and then into the drain.

These new machines do require more floor space, and have more stringent installation requirements. However, these costs are more than recovered by the savings in service costs, the savings in your water bill, and improved performance.

Other manufacturers are now releasing machines which emulate the RamVac formula. This is a good thing, as competition will trend prices downward. Given the cost of utilities today, any dental office must do its due diligence and thoroughly investigate this option before purchasing another vacuum system.

Tags: Dental Air & Vacuum Systems, Dental Equipment

Recently, Adec has launched the ICV. The ICV is an automated vacuum line cleaning system that minimizes the hassle of properly cleaning your vacuum lines. Until recently, the best solution on the market was a little pail with fittings for your vacuum tools. Fill the pail with a mixture of chemical and water, and then place it on the floor of the operatory, suck up the solution, and repeat for every room. For small practices it wasn’t too inconvenient, but for large offices it got to be quite labor intensive.

The ICV changes that. Mounted to a cupboard, either inside a module of its own, or simply cut into a door and mounted there, the Adec ICV automates this process. Containing a timer, and a solution reservoir, the process for cleaning your suction lines couldn’t be easier.  Simply plug the saliva ejector and HVE onto the appropriate nipple,  push the ‘Start’ button, and walk away. After running for two minutes, the ICV turns off. Remove the vacuum tools and put them back into their hangers.

Photo: courtesy A-Dec

The process can be run in one operatory by the assistant between patients, or by one person in every operatory at the end of the day.

While those purchasing new Adec cabinets can choose to have the ICV built into the cabinet, Adec cabinets are not a requirement for use of this product. In fact, no matter what style of cabinetry you have in your practice, as long as you have a space 7” x 20” x 21” available to you, the ICV can be incorporated easily. If you have a service technician who also has some woodworking skills the job can be done right in your office, although many technicians will prefer to remove the doors and have the holes professionally cut.

You can find more information about the instruction on how to used the A-Dec ICV at their site here.

Tags: Dental Air & Vacuum Systems, Dental Equipment

Air compressor technology has come a long way in the past 20 years. Modern dental air compressors have myriad technologies built into them to improve the quality of the air in the system and improve your practice. Some dentists feel they can save money by using an industrial air compressor in their office rather than using a dedicated dental air compressor. Dental air compressors, whether they feature traditional lubed or modern lube-free heads, incorporate a number of features that makes them better suited for use in a dental office.

Dental air compressor systems incorporate complex air drying and filtering systems. The air exits the compressor head and travels through a small tank full of desiccant beads which remove moisture from the air. The air also passes through a special coalescing filter which further removes water, and if applicable, oil from the air. This means that the air going into the tank is as pure as possible. As a final step the tank is generally coated to inhibit rust and scale from forming, which would contaminate the air supply. These steps ensure that the air coming out of the tank is of the highest quality possible.

If it is time to choose or buy a new dental air compressor, lube-free or oil-less air compressors are highly recommended. These new compressor heads completely remove the potential of oil contamination in your air supply, and also minimize maintenance costs, as you no longer have to change the oil every year. Lube free compressors can be a bit louder than traditional lubed compressors, but only marginally so. If noise is a problem, special insulated compressor cabinets are available to reduce noise.

Tags: Dental Air & Vacuum Systems, Dental Equipment

To work properly dental air and vacuum systems require the use of a central air or vacuum compressor depending on the task at hand. An air compressor dental system supplies compressed air, for the air-water syringe and other air- driven hand pieces found on the attached to the dental unit. The vacuum compressor dental system on the other hand supplies suction needed for the dental evacuation to remove water, saliva, blood and other matter in a dental procedure.

What to look for when purchasing Dental air vacuum systems

NFPA Standards:

Dental air vacuum systems must comply with the latest NFPA standards (National Fire Protection Association). The NFPA standards specify how and what materials should be used to construct the air vacuum system to comply with its safety standards. The dental air vacuum systems are found in I a category commonly referred to as Level 3 systems under the National Fire Protection Association Code 99 or simply as NFPA 99.

Amalgam separators

Because of efforts by several governments ad municipalities to reduce the amount of mercury that goes into the sewer system and eventually finds its way into lakes and oceans, dentists are being encouraged to use an approved amalgam separator device on their vacuum systems. If you live in such a place or you feel that you want to do your part to keep our planet healthy then it would be worthwhile going for a dental vacuum system with an amalgam separator. An amalgam separator catches the amalgam into a special container which then can be properly disposed instead of getting its way into the sewer with the rest of the liquid waste. You will have to find out which amalgam separators are recommended or approved by the authorities in your area. An amalgam separator can either be fixed to the dental air vacuum at each chair or at a central point for a multi- chair practice.

Dry or wet dental vacuum systems

If you choose to go for a dry vacuum system for your dental practice, you will be doing your part in limiting the amount of water used in your practice therefore contributing to your community’s wise water usage.

Care for the dental air vacuum systems

It is important to disinfect the vacuum system line on a regular basis depending on the number of traffic in your practice. It is a wise decision to choose a disinfectant that respects the environment since it will end up in your waste water and onto the lakes, rivers and oceans.

Tags: Dental Air & Vacuum Systems, Dental Equipment