new solution to dental splatter

As much as Stacie Garn of South Jordan, UT, loves her job as a dental hygienist, she didn’t necessarily like the feeling of taking her work home with her. She faced what seems to be a universal problem among hygienists: splatter.

“I used to be concerned that when I left the office and I didn’t have time to go home, I would end up walking out with every patient’s saliva all over me,” she said. “It’s probably one of the grossest aspects of our job, realistically.”

Garn is not alone in this thought. In fact, on a thread on the popular job site Indeed.com, a disgruntled former hygienist cited splatter as a reason for changing careers. She wrote: “I got prophy paste disgusting splatter all over me every day because the boss is too cheap to fix the handpiece. It’s just gross, and I hate it!” 

This is why prophy splatter should be a concern not only of hygienists but also of dentists.

Maybe the dentist this hygienist worked for was, in fact, “too cheap” to fix a broken handpiece, or maybe it wasn’t the dentist’s fault at all, and the splatter was the result of ineffective prophy angles.

Fortunately for hygienists who have stayed the course, there’s a new solution to contain splatter.

Garn recently had the opportunity to try Ultrapro Tx Sweep from Ultradent, a prophy angle that’s designed to significantly reduce splatter by 95%.

It contains a flexible brush guard that keeps the saliva and paste from collecting and roping around the cup, so they stay in the mouth.

“It just swept the saliva away from the prophy cup so it wasn’t spinning all over,” Garn described.  

Like other prophy angles in the Ultrapro Tx line, Ultrapro Tx Sweep features an optimal flare and ergonomic shape, and is not made with rubber latex. It’s available in soft or firm cup designs with advanced internal blade design and outer ridges for interproximal cleaning. The smaller head provides better access and improved visibility.

“Other prophy angles claim that they are splatter-free, but I’ve been disappointed by the results,” Stephanie Dickson, RDH, added in the testimonial video below. “I’ve seen no other prophy angle like [Ultrapro Tx Sweep]. There’s zero splatter inside and outside of the mouth. I appreciate that and my patients do, too.” 

A Splatter-Reducing Family

Ultrapro Tx Sweep attaches to the Ultrapro Tx Air handpiece, which has a soft-start, universal E-type motor that also helps to reduce splatter. This handpiece is a Dental Product Shopper-evaluated “Best Product” that cleans effectively at a maximum speed of 4,000 rpms and is multifunctional. 

Available in three color options, Ultrapro Tx Air offers an ergonomic shape and vibration-free design for maximum comfort. It’s lightweight at 2.2 ounces, helps to reduce hand and arm fatigue, and has a 360-degree swivel for easy rotation.

Ultrapro Tx Air is compatible with nearly all disposable prophy angles but works optimally with Ultrapro Tx prophy angles. In addition to the recently introduced Ultrapro Tx Sweep, these latex-free, disposable prophy angles are available in Original, Extra and Skini, and feature smooth, quiet gears and an ergonomic design, with an advanced cup design both inside and out.

Completing the family, Ultradent’s Ultrapro Tx prophy paste and Ultrapro Tx Pure prophy paste offer reduced-splatter formulas and are easy to rinse. There are a variety of flavors to choose from. 

It’s the little things that matter in day-to-day practice, and they can add up to bigger frustrations over time. Why not make prophylaxis more manageable with splatter-free products that actually work? 

Learn more at www.ultradent.com.