INSTRUMENT OF THE MONTH | Sharpening Solutions

Robyn Watson, RDH Sharpening scalers is one of those jobs that most hygienists look upon as a chore that has to be endured versus a necessity to set them up for clinical success. During the many professional sharpening courses I have taught I always ask about which method they are using and how often they actually put it to use. The most common answer is "As much as I would like to do it I don't really have time in my busy schedule." Let's take a look how Hu-Friedy can assist you in achieving sharp instruments, patient after patient.

How many hygienists go into a practice where the instruments have been sharpened by somebody else and the result are edges less than ideal!?  Manual sharpening techniques require precision and concentration, and a good working knowledge of the angles of the cutting edges of each instrument.

Dental scalers and curettes require a sharp edge and proper shape for function and performance. With use, scalers and curettes lose their ideal tip geometry, requiring sharpening to re-establish proper shape and finely honed cutting edges

Common sharpening mistakes include pointing toes (instead of rounding toes), creating sickles that are too thin and have lost the integrity of the original shape of the blade.  Gracey curettes may be sharpened to have two lateral blades and a cutting edge that has an incorrect angulation, that is less efficient, just to name a few!

Do These Look Familiar?

There are differing opinions about when to sharpen. Some prefer to sharpen the instruments when sterile; some sharpen during a cancellation before cleaning and sterilization. Quality instruments will not dull when autoclaved, but when using this approach there is always the risk of sharps injury. In my experience taking time at the end of the morning and afternoon sessions to sharpen before the instruments are placed in the instrument management system cycle provides the best results. It is a myth that instruments will dull in the autoclave, as long as you are using high quality instruments. Remember not to mix metals (stainless and carbon steel) when autoclaving as this can contribute to corrosion.

The safest method to solve the issue of sharps injury is to use
Hu-Friedy Lilac puncture proof gloves when handling non-sterile instruments. The melded texture on the fingertip and palm areas of the Lilac Gloves provides improved tactile feel and grip while handling instrumentation. Note that the gloves can be autoclaved up to 250°F/121°C.
 

It is recommended that if you are performing a sub gingival debridement procedure that a sterile sharpening stone is always available on the instrument tray, so that sharpening 'touch ups' can occur.  The Hu-Friedy #3 Ceramic stone is ideal for these situations chairside—and it may be used dry or with water!
 

Another solution is to use EverEdge^® instruments. These quality instruments designed by Hu-Friedy have a unique metal structure that prolongs the life of the instruments. I have had hygienists tell me that they have used their EverEdge scalers up to eight times longer before they have to be sharpened!  If you haven't experienced the longer lasting cutting edges of EverEdge^® Technology, I encourage you to do so.

It is very important to use sharp instruments, for both the benefit of the practitioner and the patient. Sharp instruments reduce debridement time and reduce the possibility of burnishing the calculus. This reduced time increases patient comfort and is ergonomically beneficial for the clinician. Time management of each appointment is more efficient and the patient and the clinician are less fatigued all the while striving for the ultimate goal of better clinical outcomes.

Surveys of hygienists have shown that a sharp cutting edge is the most important feature of a scaler.  In addition to choosing EverEdge^® Technology which retains its sharpness longer, regular consistent sharpening is another key to success.  Automated sharpening devices provide the consistency that is missing in hand sharpening.

If you still prefer manual sharpening, the Hu-Friedy Dual Grit Sharpening Stone™ features a coarse side for reshaping and reconditioning and a fine side for honing and finishing.

Need to recondition and reshape? Use the course grit side for reshaping and follow with the fine grit side of honing and finishing. Just need to lightly re-establish a sharp edge? Use the fine grit side for honing and refinishing for super-sharp results. For those rounded end instruments the Bates Stone is the answer! This versatile stone (pictured right) is ideal for sharpening those elevators and excavators, as well as rounded instruments like the Nevi® 1 or the O'Hehir Debridement curettes. Just place the instrument with the back at 45° into the appropriate groove and move it back and forth.

There are a variety of automatic sharpeners on the market but the most portable and the one that has the ability to be used chairside is the Sidekick^® Sharpener by Hu-Friedy.

• Small, compact and cordless

• Consistent results

• Correct routine sharpening to extend life of instruments

• Vertical backstops for control of blade angulation

Robyn Watson is a Professional Educational Consultant for Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co., LLC. for the Australasia region. She practiced and taught in the USA for 25 years and returned to her home country of New Zealand in 1994 to participate in the introduction of the first school of Dental Hygiene in New Zealand. Since that time, she has been on the faculty of the Otago School of Dentistry, the Otago Polytechnic and consulted with the development of the BSc in Oral Health at the Auckland University of Technology where she was a Senior lecturer, and NZDHA representative to the Oral Health Advisory Board of the University. Robyn has now been appointed as a Lecturer in the Department of Periodontics at the University of Sydney.

She has served as Vice President and President of the NZDHA and sat on the New Zealand Dental Council for 6 years. She served on the Oral Health Advisory Group to the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Dental Health Foundation.

Robyn is one of the New Zealand delegates to the International Federation of Dental Hygienists and chaired the Education committee for three years. She received her Dental Hygiene education at the University of Pennsylvania, her Bachelors degree in Dental Auxiliary Education at the University of North Carolina and her Masters in Public Administration in Health Services Management from Golden GateUniversity in San Francisco. She has consulted for Hu-Friedy for six years during which she has given presentations to universities and professional groups in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, UAR, Malaysia, Kenya, Brazil and Korea. She is heading to Nepal and Cambodia in January 2011.