Dental suction

Many patients do not know that the dental suction that the dental assistant applies during their cleaning has a great impact on the safety and health of the office. Although its sole purpose seems to be to keep you from drooling while your dentist is working on your crown restoration or any other activity, it has other vital roles. Read on to learn more about dental suction and how your cosmetic dentist can use these tools to keep patients and staff healthy.

What is dental suction?

Dental suction devices draw in a large amount of air and saliva in a short period. They are commonly used during dental cleanings, oral surgeries, and cosmetic treatments to keep the patient’s teeth and mouth dry while the dentist completes the treatment. They maintain a constant vacuum pressure and can have different-sized openings that affect the amount of air that can be sucked in at once. It is also used for infection prevention purposes.

Suction in dentistry is one of the very important tools used to remove liquids, blood, and other substances from inside the patient’s mouth. These tools are used in dental surgeries, implants, root canals, etc. due to their ability to remove liquids in the mouth better and cleaner.

Applications of dental suction

There are several reasons why your cosmetic dentist may perform dental suction during your procedure, all of which are to keep you safe during treatment. Some of these are:

• Prevention of saliva and secretions build-up: Many treatments require your mouth to be dry to create a strong bond. If you have too much saliva in your mouth, it can affect the strength of the bonding agent.
• Airway protection: If you are under sedation during treatment, a dental suction device can keep your airway unobstructed.
• Avoid choking: Having foreign objects in your mouth can cause you to produce extra saliva and lead to the fear of choking while you are in the treatment chair. Suctioning helps remove this excess saliva and makes it feel more comfortable.

Eliminate aerosolized viruses and microbes from the air

Using fast-moving tools like polishes can turn your saliva into an aerosol column. This can cause diseases and bacteria to become airborne without the use of suction.

Types of dental suction

There are three types of dental suction in the market:

• Wet suction
• Dry suction
• Semi-wet suction

There are two types of dental suctions, manual and electric. Manual suction is activated by the movement of the doctor’s hand or foot and must be emptied manually. However, the electric suction works with more electric current power and is automatically discharged.

• Manual suction: This type of dental suction is used manually by a dentist or dental assistant. This type of suction is connected to the dentist’s hand as a flexible tube or a set of tubes and collects liquids and other materials from the patient’s mouth using the dentist’s hand. This type of suction is cheaper and lighter than automatic suction and is used for some treatments such as mouth cleaning and minor surgeries.
• Automatic suction: This type of dental suction automatically collects liquids and other substances from the patient’s mouth without the need for manual work. This type of dental suction has a liquid collection motor and fan, and by placing a tube in the patient’s mouth, it automatically and quickly collects liquid. This type of suction is suitable for some larger treatments such as oral surgery and root canal treatments. This type of automatic suction has a higher price, but it is faster and more efficient than manual suction.

There are also sections for various applications in dentistry such as blood suction, water suction, and air suction. Blood suction is mostly used for profuse surgeries such as tooth extraction, water suction to control drooling during longer surgeries, and air suction to dry the workplace to create better conditions for performing dental interventions.

The best type of dental suction

The best type of dental suction depends on the needs of each dentist and the type of treatment. Each of them has its advantages depending on the needs of the dental office. This is the responsibility of your dentist, who uses the right type of suction for you according to the type of treatment you are doing.

In dentistry, manual and automatic suctions are used. Each of these types has different features and benefits, and for each specific treatment, one of them may be the best option. If there is a greater possibility of larger materials or parts in the mouth, automatic suction is the best option, because this type of suction has a high suction power and a larger opening that allows it to remove larger parts easily.

On the other hand, manual suction is suitable for smaller applications such as cleaning the surfaces of teeth and removing small and precise mouth injuries. This type of suction is used for dentists who do not want to use electronic devices, or if using an automatic device is not suitable for them. Therefore, the best type of suction depends on your treatment needs, and your dentist in Mississauga can determine the right type for you.

In general, manual suction is suitable for some smaller treatments such as mouth cleaning, while automatic suction is more suitable for larger treatments and oral surgeries. In any case, your dentist must use the right type of suction to benefit from better performance and increased oral hygiene.

Advantages of dental suction

Dental suction is one of the basic tools in dentistry, which is used to collect water and liquids from the patient’s mouth during dental work. The advantages of using dental suction are:

• Maintaining a dry mouth: Suction, as an effective tool for collecting oral secretions and excess moisture during dental treatments, helps to maintain a dry mouth and prevent discomfort and discomfort for the patient.
• Improving the dentist’s vision: By removing water and excess fluids from the mouth, the dentist’s vision improves during the treatment and allows the dentist to be better and more accurate in the treatment.
• Preventing the risk of infection: By removing excess fluids from the mouth, the possibility of infection transmission between the dentist and the patient is reduced.
• Improved access to the treatment site: By removing excess water and fluids, access to the treatment site is improved and allows the dentist to perform the treatment more accurately.
• Reducing the duration of treatment: by using suction, the patient’s mouth dries without additional liquids, and this allows the dentist to perform the treatment faster and without problems.

Keeping dental suction clean

Due to the continuous use of dental suction, it is very important to keep it clean. To clean the dental suction, follow the steps below:

• Unplug the suction before starting to clean.
• First, you need to open the suction filter and remove it from the suction.
• Wash the suction filter with water and clean it with disinfectants such as alcohol or antiseptic.
• Wipe other parts of the suction with a cloth or disinfectant.
• After cleaning the suction, put the filter back inside the suction.
• Before using the suction cup again, make sure that all parts are properly cleaned and that there is no contamination or residue.

Finally, to maintain oral hygiene and prevent infections from misuse of dental suction, you can store the suction out of reach of others after each use and clean it carefully before using it again.

Maintenance methods of dental suction

Maintenance of dental suctions is very important, and so that your device is less damaged and does not require constant repair, it is better to do the following ways to maintain your suction device:

Far suction units

For distant suction units, we recommend using Orotol Plus liquid concentrate. It is the ideal solution for simultaneous disinfection and deodorization as well as cleaning and maintenance of all your suction systems and amalgam separators.

Step-by-step maintenance instructions:

• For initial treatment: take two liters of water.
• Apply the 2% solution in the OroCup* Care System: Fill the OroCup to the two-liter mark with cold water, add 40ml (two capfuls) of Orotol plus, and mix thoroughly.
• Connect dental suction suction hoses to the care system and aspirate one liter of solution per unit.
• Pour at least 250 ml of the solution into the spit bowl (pour 1 liter to a maximum of 4 spits).
• Allow to react for at least an hour or overnight.

CATTANI suction unit

For Cattani suction units, we recommend using Cattani Puli-Jet Gentle. Cleaning, disinfection, and system maintenance are vital to ensure the long life of your Cattani suction system.

Step-by-step maintenance instructions:

• Fill the pulse cleaner with 2.5 liters of warm water.
• Each line inside the pulse cleaner represents 1 liter, so fill it halfway between the second and third lines.
• Place Puli-Jet Gentle on a flat, stable surface.
• Open the red cap a little (i.e. 1-2 turns), but do not open it completely.
• Gently squeeze the bottle until the solution is pressurized.
• Continue pressing until the solution reaches the 30 ml mark.
• If too much solution has entered the dispensing chamber, it can be poured into the main bottle by tipping the bottle towards the small tube on the side.
• Open and remove the red cap. Pour the solution from the dispensing cup into the complete pulse cleaner. Be careful not to let more solution pour into the beaker from the original bottle.
• Wipe any drops of solution from the bottle with a disposable cloth (and then discard the cloth).
• Connect the dental suction hoses to the pulse cleaner – adapters may be needed as hoses vary in size. Pulsed aspiration of the solution occurs automatically.
• After the pulsation stops, disconnect the hoses from the pulse cleaner. Please note that a small amount of solution remains at the bottom of the cleaner. It can be spit out or inhaled manually.
• It is highly recommended to continue breathing air for several minutes before turning off the suction system. This ensures that the disinfectant reaches the suction unit in the factory room.