Initial Prompt
It is important for dental hygienists to use sharp instruments when removing hard and soft deposits from the tooth surface. Sharp instruments provide greater sense of feeling, allowing the hygienist to detect calculus deposits better. Using sharp instruments also decreases hand pain and potential cramping for the hygienist. Less pressure helps the clinician with comfort. Sharp instruments allow dental hygienists to practice more efficiently to remove hard deposits in the amount of time for each appointment. Sharp instruments also provide the patient with a more comfortable patient experience.
Reflective Response
Dental hygienists must use sharp instruments when removing hard and soft deposits from the tooth surface. Sharp instruments are beneficial for both the patient and the dental hygienist. For the dental hygienist, sharp instruments provide greater tactile senses, allowing the hygienist to detect anomalies or calculus deposits better. Using sharp instruments also decreases muscle strain and hand fatigue for the hygienist. Less pressure helps the clinician with comfort and reduces the clinician’s potential for musculoskeletal injury. Sharp instruments allow dental hygienists to practice more efficiently, reducing the number of strokes required to remove hard deposits in the amount of time for each appointment. Sharp instruments also provide the patient with a more comfortable patient experience.
As a patient, sharper instruments mean being more comfortable because the hygienist uses less pressure to remove the calculus. Less pressure is applied during treatment because sharp instruments can grab and remove the calculus with fewer and lighter strokes. The use of sharp instruments allows for the appointment to be quicker because less time is being taken to remove calculus. Likewise, gingival tissues respond better to treatment with fewer strokes and less pressure. The use of dull instruments can burnish calculus, resulting in more unwanted pressure to remove the deposits. More pressure typically means more pain and discomfort to the patient. Using fewer strokes means less time the patient has to be in the chair and the potential for more patient referrals based on the dental hygienist’s performance.
Optimally sharp instruments should always be used when using instruments on a patient. To maintain the sharp edge, the instruments must be continuously sharpened and adequately maintained to utilize for safe patient care effectively and to keep dental hygienists safe from unwanted musculoskeletal injuries. A test stick can be used to test how sharp an instrument is. This is achieved by holding the test stick in the non-dominant hand and placing the instrument in the dominant hand. Apply the cutting edge to the stick at a 70-80 degree angle and swipe to see if the instrument “sticks.” If the instrument “sticks,” the instrument is sharp. If the instrument does not “stick,” then the instrument is not sharp and needs to be sharpened. It is vital that dental hygienists are adequately educated and continuously trained on sharpening techniques and the time to do so. Most importantly, dental hygienists should value the importance of sharpening and understanding the relationship between their health and safety, patient care, and treatment outcomes.
