When it comes to sharpening instruments, which must maintain a sharp edge to work efficiently and ergonomically, you have choices. The dental practice can sign up for a resharpening service or individuals can resharpen their own instruments at the dental office. It turns out there’s an advantage to sharpening them, frequently, yourself—it will extend the life of an instrument if it’s addressed as soon as it begins to dull.
As an instrument becomes dull, it requires more effort and pressure to remove calculus. When this happens, it’s time to test the instrument’s edge. Applying more pressure is hard on the practitioner’s body as well as the patient’s. Plus, a dull instrument can burnish some of the calculus instead of taking it off, and that means you might be unwittingly leaving some of it behind.
Paradise Dental Technologies (PDT) offers several solutions. They do have a resharpening program, but if you want immediate results, you can start using the PDT Gleason Guide. Made of stainless steel, the Gleason Guide has three beveled edge guides, one for Gracey curettes, one for Universal/Sickle instruments, and one for shaping the toe and sharpening O’Hehirs. It is compact and easy to hold in your hand. And it is perfectly complimented by the PingRing, which luckily you don’t have to hold in your hand.
The PingRing is designed to be worn comfortably on your finger during the process. You can do a quick sharpness check by plucking the surface of the PingRing with the cutting edge of an instrument. Unlike standard test sticks, it’s easier to hold and less likely to slip as you’re testing your instrument, which is an important safety feature. If the instrument slides across or only slightly scrapes the surface of the ring, it is dull enough to burnish calculus. If you hear an audible “ping” as it cuts into the PingRing, it is sharp enough to be safe for both you and your patient.
The Gleason Guide and PingRing can be purchased individually, or in a variety of kits that include either the Diamond Head Stone, made of fine ceramic, or the Transformation (brown) stone, which is coarse, or both. Neither of the stones will pit or groove, and do not require oil or water to be used for sharpening.
To hone up on sharpening skills, watch the videos on the PDT website hosted by Linda Miller, CEO and Founder of PDT, who demonstrates how to use the Gleason Guide to quickly and properly sharpen instruments from heel to toe, and how to test them before and after sharpening. It looks like the process would be a nice meditative break in a busy day. To learn more, visit PDTdental.com/staysharp.