Guido Testa
Master Dental Technician
Italy
In these times when the most precious asset, our health and that of our employees, is threatened by Covid-19, we have already modified and adapted the procedures in our laboratory for this emergency situation.
Thinking about what we needed to put in place to protect ourselves but also the patients in the studies we work with, we realized that in some cases it is possible to minimize the risk of contagion thanks to two pieces of Renfert equipment particularly suitable for this purpose, as well as some changes in the processing procedures.
In our laboratory, the standard protocol for receiving impressions includes their disinfection. This is a precaution made more urgent by the emergency situation, even though we know with certainty that all “our” dental practices only send us disinfected material. However, for this purpose and protected by appropriate PPE, we use a spray disinfectant and proceed by carefully spraying the impressions onto a collection tray using the ankle equipped with Renfert suction that prevents the nebulized product from breathing. This equipment has now proved to be very useful, and we are convinced that for laboratories like mine, but also for practices that do not involve immersion disinfection but spray products, it is an indispensable aid.
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We also thought of using Renfert’s Dustex Master Plus suction box for working on prostheses in use (repairs, tooth additions and realigning). The prosthetic resins are in fact porous and absorb salivary fluids and remain potentially at risk even after careful disinfection. It is therefore very important to perform these operations in a protected manner, and Renfert’s Dustex Master Plus box with suction is perfect for this purpose. Another little trick we adopted even before the emergency situation is to use only dedicated milling cutters on these processes that must be disinfected after each use.
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But the current emergency situation also requires other arrangements. The brushes dedicated to polishing prostheses in use, as well as pumice, even if disinfected, must be separated from the brushes and pumice to be used on new prostheses. It is therefore advisable to equip yourself, as we have done for some time, with two polishing sets that include Converging Row Brush, Chungking Brush, Slim, Linen Disc and Wavy Disc in fine muslin and separate the pumice in different boxes according to their use, adding to the pumice for prosthesis in use not water, but a specific disinfectant. Of course, this also applies to the polishing paste that comes into contact with the brushes and must be separated for new and used prostheses.
Surely in a period of production crisis due to the temporary closure of dental practices, buying new products can be difficult, but I believe that investing in safety and prevention for us, our collaborators and the patients for whom our products are destined, is not only necessary but should be considered as an investment and not an expense.