Three Risks of Using a Faulty Electric Handpiece
Not only is the mouth a confined space to work in, but with tools working around the area, there is even less room in a patient’s mouth for any movement. With such specific types of tools used in dentistry, there is a certain level of risk management to take care of before treating a patient. This risk management involves being prepared to avoid any foreseeable complication. This includes verifying one’s tools and confirming whether the tools are ready to use or need to be sent for electric handpiece repair. There are several risks and injuries associated with faulty handpieces that can be avoided:
Accidental Injuries
One of the most visible risks to a patient during a dental treatment of any kind is working with a faulty dental handpiece. Injuries such as lacerations, crush injuries, and mechanical injuries can all happen if you are working with a dental handpiece that needs a repair. One way to avoid accidental injuries is to follow the instruction manual for the dental handpiece and take the utmost care in verifying if it needs any repair.
Overheating
It is vital to routinely inspect all of your dental instruments. If you notice that your electric handpiece becomes excessively hot in your own hand, it is most likely going to be too hot for your patient. This type of malfunction means you need dental handpiece repair before using it on any patient. Using a faulty dental handpiece that needs repair can burn the inside of a patient’s cheek, their tongue, or their gums among the rest of the mouth. An overheating dental handpiece is also a risk to the patient’s exterior skin such as their cheek, lips and all around the mouth.
Infections
In addition to mechanical issues, a faulty dental handpiece can also be a tool that is infected. For instance, if one of the levers of your electric handpiece was left open during autoclaving, there can be an accumulation of bacteria that starts to build up inside the head of the dental handpiece, thus requiring an electric handpiece repair.
Regularly inspecting your dental handpieces is a vital component of risk management in a dentist’s workplace. As such, electric handpiece repair and regular maintenance are part of risk management for a dentist’s workplace. Inspecting your electric handpieces for repair and sending your tools off for repair will help keep your patients safe and will allow you to provide quality treatments for your patients. Dental handpiece repair is quick and efficient when you have regularly maintained your tools over time. Accidental injuries, overheating and infections can all be avoided with an electric handpiece repair.
