Why I Use... DryShield
Easy-to-use modern dental isolation system that aids in reducing aerosols and chair time while easing patients' safety concerns
While only one piece of any infection control protocol, reducing the amount of aerosols created during dental procedures can help ensure the safety of everyone in the operatory. DryShield is an easy-to-use device that combines hands-free, high-volume evacuation with comfortable isolation and retraction to effectively reduce aerosols and chair time, while allowing for 2-quadrant dentistry. Here, Dr. Sully Sullivan describes how this all-in-one isolation system helps ease patients' safety concerns and ensure that everyone in his Brentwood, TN, practice is safe.
Prior to reopening our practice doors after the stay-at-home order, my team and I considered what adjustments we'd need to make to ensure safe practice. We spent a lot of time thinking about how we could minimize aerosol production to protect not only our patients, but ourselves. DryShield was quickly implemented into our new routine as a solution—we now regularly use this isolation, retraction, and evacuation device not just during longer procedures, but for most restorative cases.
One thing I love about DryShield is that it's so minimalistic. Other isolation systems have extra features built in that make them more difficult and time-consuming to maintain. DryShield is easy to place in the patient's mouth and there is the option of using either autoclavable or single use mouthpieces. Our office uses the disposable ones, which gives us confidence that we're delivering safe treatment to each patient.
The Patient Perspective
We all have our minds on infection control lately. While my patients used to react negatively to isolation, many now are more likely to try DryShield without hesitation when we explain that it is the best way to protect everybody from infection. In fact, my team has discovered that patients like it a lot—once it's placed in their mouths, they seem to relax a little more during treatment.
The material of the mouthpiece makes a big difference, too. It is flexible and doesn't poke or impinge on the patient, while it's rigid enough to keep the tongue and cheek retracted. The rigidity is great for the dental team, while the flexible design helps us easily get the device in and out of the patient’s mouth. I expect that my team will continue to use DryShield much more often, regardless of what happens with the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Sullivan received his DDS degree in 2015 from Tennessee College of Dentistry, where he received the Dean’s Award for Clinical Excellence. A 5th-generation dentist, he is a member of various dental organizations, including the American Dental Association, Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation, the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. He currently practices at Sullivan Dental Partners in Brentwood, TN, alongside his father.
