Dental offices use a lot of water! Not by volume, but by variety [there are four]: washing/flushing; drinking; sterilizing; cooling/irrigating- and each has it’s own peculiarities. Three of them require a storage container or “jug”. And the fourth may be subject to the need, as well. In most cases, hand washing, laundering and toilet flushing function effectively from a municipal water supply or well. Notwithstanding, the respective water sources may have a high mineral content or other biological properties that necessitate treatment with a filtration device; potentially, another veritable “jug”. Although the condition is not pervasive; it is always a prudent measure to consider a water test if any trace evidence is found.
Historically, the remaining three water types have been provided by outside vendors or required an after-market, water-treatment product that morph the municipal or well water into the task-specific variation of H²O. All are stored in containers or “jugs”, if you will. Since each also requires an on-going expense and an associated labor factor, we have sought an economical and convenient means with which to deliver the respective liquids. Mission accomplished. So, please consider the following rhetorical query:
Jug #1: Drinking Water
Tap water has long been a reliable source of hydration. Open a spigot for a mere matter of seconds and you’re assured the delivery of a refreshingly cool thirst quencher Be it simply media hype or portability, we as a society have shunned our abundant natural resource for the purity of spring water; or in many cases simply processed, bottled water. The obsession for refined water has followed us to our homes and offices.
Refreshments aside, the provision of a self-contained, potable water source has also served many as an adequate substitute for the mandated [most locations] drinking fountain. The problem is that these five-gallon units are unattractive, consume valuable storage space; and each jug weighs about 40 pounds. So, add a labor-factor and the risk of muscle strain or more serious injury to the mix, and you have a costly and burdensome accommodation. Since the one-time, upfront costs are modest and the maintenance is virtually nonexistent, why not purify the water “in house”, refrigerate it and serve it “on tap”?
Jug #2: Distilled Water
If your office has an autoclave and/or Statim sterilizer, you are faced with two options: 1. Buy and store bottles of distilled water. 2. Purchase a water distiller and produce and store the water in-house. In either case, the water has an associated cost, consumes space and, in the case of the distiller, takes time. Why not treat the water systemically and provide it “on-tap” at the point of use- in your sterilization area?
Jug #3: Dental Waterline Infection Control
If you are like most practices, your syringes and handpieces are fed with a biofilm prevention/management system- which typically includes a one or two liter bottle attached to the treatment chair or dynamic instrument delivery system. Most often there are two separate systems to serve the clinician and chairside assistant, respectively. Multiply that times the number of operative treatment rooms, add one for each hygiene room, and an average two-practitioner dental practice will have ten of these water sources. Each reservoir (jug) must be replenished and treated on a daily basis. The process is costly and includes a labor-factor to disassemble, fill, treat and reassemble the reservoir at each location. Would it not be more practical to provide hard-plumbed, dedicated water lines that are fed by a systemically treated reservoir that will serve the clinical areas of an entire office?
I expect that the majority response to these questions will be a resounding “Yes!”. So, I will share what I have discovered to be the singular solution and one of the most sensible investments in dental water management:
Sterisil
We have been endorsing the Sterisil system for several years and all of our current clients are now enjoying the reduced cost and stress-free management of the respective water systems; not to mention increased storage, minimized labor and enhanced office aesthetics. To get more information and guidance, contact me directly at 800-622-5563.