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Hygiene Process of Care
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Polishing
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Young Dental – Splatter Guard Prophy Angle
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Word of the day – Innovation
This TIPisode has been transcribed for your viewing pleasure:
Michelle Strange: A Tale of Two Hygienists presents this week’s TIPisode: quick and easy tips to keep you up to date and presented by the experts in the profession. Now, get ready for your unofficial TIPisode.
Whitney Howerton: Hi, everyone. My name is Whitney Howerton, and I am a dental professional like you. As a practicing dental hygienist, I know there are several key components needed for successful and safe patient care. A thorough medical and dental history review, first of all, periodontal charting, and of course calculus and biofilm removal just to name a few.
We may not think about each step of the dental hygiene process of care, but we are completing it for every patient. We assess. We do our dental hygiene diagnosis. We plan, implement, and evaluate our treatment for every single patient. In our time together today, I really want to focus on the biofilm and stain removal process.
So we think about this when we’re planning and then implementing, right? Did you know that only 80 percent of our patients have returned to practice? Are you noticing gaps in your schedule or fewer new patients in your chair? One of the main focuses for us as dental hygienists and dental professionals is to ensure there is a pleasant experience for our patients while doing our job as safely as possible. So I want to make sure that as dental professionals we know about the newest innovative products available to make the polishing process a much better experience for us and our patients. That’s where Young’s Splatter Guard prophy angle comes into place.
Did you ever think you would have to decide whether to polish your patient or not? Whether the splatter or spatter created during the procedure could spread harmful, even deadly microorganisms? I really didn’t, you guys. Many of our patients feel like the polishing procedure is the cleaning and that’s the most important part, so how do they feel or how would they feel if that was eliminated?
In conversations with our peers and even social media pages, I noticed that many dental hygienists chose toothbrush prophies, selective polishing, or not polishing at all because we just were not sure about what to do, and now we’re kind of back to whatever we feel like is right. Did you know the average turnover of patients is 20 percent? If patients have a poor experience or have concerns about infection control processes, then that increases the risk of patients leaving the practice or not referring their friends and family members.
With Young’s Splatter Guard prophy angle, we no longer have to worry about the splatter. This angle has been in development for three years and features a wiper-style blade or guard that tapers the saliva and prophy paste back onto the patient’s tooth. I even find myself using less prophy paste because it carries from tooth to tooth more easily. In clinical trials, 9 out of 10 dental professionals reported a significant reduction or complete elimination of splatter, and internal research shows a 15-times reduction in splatter compared to a traditional prophy angle.
In full transparency, you guys, I was a little unsure about it when I first saw it. How was this wiper-style guard going to really make a difference? But seeing is believing, right? I’m hooked, and I do not see myself ever going back to a traditional prophy angle ever again.
One thing that I love is that it’s available in two of my favorite prophy angle styles. The Vera prophy angle, which you guys may already be familiar with, has external ridges on the cup, and it has a brass screw that attaches the cup to the head of the prophy angle, which creates a super smooth 360 spin. It’s also available in the Young Classic Slim, another petite profile angle that allows for greater posterior visibility, reach, and access.
So, since I’ve been using the Splatter Guard prophy angle, I do not miss prophy paste on my jacket, my face shield, my scrubs, or the patient chair. I do not miss that awkward moment when I dampen the gauze and wipe my patient’s mouth to remove the splatter and jokingly comment about forgetting to tell them a facial or sugar scrub was included in their preventive appointment today or encouraging them to visit the restroom to clean their face before walking through the office or going to their next stop. I do not miss the frustration of patients who once had makeup on and are now complaining or those with facial hair, which really seems to be a magnet for prophy paste, right?
Yes, I know the mask we’re required to wear in most areas today hide it, but I’m sure not going to leave paste all over my patient’s face. That’s just not my style. And, if it’s not your style either, check out the show notes below to find out more information on Young’s new Splatter Guard prophy angle. I know you’re going to love it.
I want to end our time together with a word of the day, you guys. Our word is “innovation.” When you look at the synonyms for innovation, you see change, revolution, metamorphosis, transformation. These words may initially cause anxiety or uncertainty, but think of how it feels once the process is complete and there’s a new beginning.
We expect innovation in our personal lives such as our cell phones, tablet, clothes or fashion, so why not expect it in our clinical lives? Innovation, change, transformation. To transform you and your patient’s polishing experience, request a sample of Splatter Guard prophy angle and see for yourself.
Michelle Strange: We hope you enjoyed this week’s TIPisode. Be sure to reach out to our guest experts and let them know how helpful their tips were. Follow A Tale of Two Hygienists on Facebook, Instagram, and head over to ataleoftwohygienists.com and subscribe to our newsletter. You can also email us at ataleoftwohygienists@gmail.com, and keep listening for more awesome content from your unofficial dental hygiene podcast.
