Avoid wrist drag and other injuries connected to repetitive movement with a cordless hygiene handpiece that’s well-balanced, lightweight, and ergonomic
Has anyone thought about how much they need their wrist? If you’re a dental hygienist, you probably think about it every day. After all, a healthy wrist correlates closely with using precise instrumentation—and it’s a crucial player when it comes to clinical performance during plaque and calculus removal, polishing, and overall patient comfort throughout hygiene treatment. Yet wrists are very susceptible to injuries, especially in the case of repetitive tasks. A steady flow of hygiene patients means a large chunk of the daily workflow involves repetitive wrist movement. Often, wrist injuries can be insidious and largely unnoticeable—until the injury becomes serious.
Katrina Klein, an RDH for 26 years, is an ergonomic specialist who speaks nationwide on the connection between career longevity and using ergonomic tools and equipment. Klein practices in Sacramento, CA, and uses Young’s Infinity cordless handpiece. For Klein, who has used the Infinity for more than 4 years, the handpiece is a key player in her hygiene workflow, and its cordless portability and lighter weight make it both an effective and ergonomic tool for her hygienic treatments.
Well-Balanced & Lightweight
“The Infinity is, in my experience, very ergonomic because it is well-balanced and lightweight in the hand,” Klein shared. “Other handpieces are heavy on the back end, which contributes to wrist drag, hand stress, and pinch force. But the fact that Infinity is cordless is the biggest ergonomic benefit, because the wrist drag that we experience during polishing is one of the ergonomically poor things that we do as hygienists. In fact, it increases our chances of injury significantly. For me, using a cordless handpiece is hands down the most important thing we can do in any dental hygiene practice.”
While the cordless design is a significant ergonomic benefit to clinicians, many of whom struggle with physical discomfort from repetitive musculoskeletal stressors, Klein pointed out that the absence of the cord can also be a significant comfort benefit for patients as well.
Cut the Cord!
“I’ve definitely had patients notice that there’s no cord with the Infinity,” she said, adding that the cord can be cumbersome despite a variety of methods to hold it. In fact, Klein has even seen instances in which hygienists place the cord on their patient, resulting in additional weight and discomfort for them.
Infinity weighs in at just 118 g, which is about 4 oz, and includes a cordless floor pedal for increased range of motion and mobility. The handpiece uses a 360º nosecone swivel and a rotary motion, with a variable speed range of 500-3,000 rpm. Operation is smooth and quiet, which also helps quell patient anxiety.
“Another feature I love about the Infinity that’s different from other handpieces is that the nosecone is significantly smaller than others, and it can fit inside the cassette along with the instrument, so I don’t need to use a separate sterilization bag,” Klein explained.
Keep Your Preferred Prophy Cups
In a nod toward cost-savings and supply chain difficulties, Infinity is compatible with virtually all Doriot-style disposable prophy angles, which means hygienists can choose their preferred cup or brush, and alter them based on patient needs.
“We’re all very particular about the prophy cups we use,” Klein shared, “and many other handpieces have specific requirements for certain prophy cups. The great thing about Infinity is that I can use any type of prophy cup I wish.”
Won’t Roll Off the Table
Klein observed that another benefit to the Infinity lies in its shape. In addition to being comfortable in the hand, this shape helps maintain good operating condition of the handpiece.
“It’s a personal preference for me, but the shape is more of a rounded square—it’s not completely cylindrical,” she added. “When I place it on a counter, it doesn’t roll off the counter and get broken, and that’s important because with some of the more rounded handpieces, even if you place it down on the counter very carefully, it may very well roll. I’ve seen very expensive polishers roll right off the table and get broken!”
Capable at operating for 3 hours, 20 minutes on a full charge, Infinity provides 4 times the battery life of the other cordless handpieces and its rechargeable lithium-ion battery is operation-ready in only 90 minutes.
“I generally use the Infinity for up to a day and a half, and sometimes I can even get through that second day on just the original charge,” Klein shared.
Overall, it’s the cordless feature and lighter weight that resonate the most with Klein. “Infinity is an ergonomic investment in your career that is so worthwhile—going cordless is liberating!” she added. “I would tell other RDHs to just do it and try using the Infinity. It’s very freeing, and your body will thank you!”
