Simple Ways to Save Time During Periodontal Therapy
We all know the feeling. We’re running behind for the day, and your next appointment is a periodontal therapy appointment. Sometimes, those appointments are stressful enough. But adding the time crunch on top if of it can make it absolutely no fun. Or, if you’re a student getting into the thick of learning how to treat periodontal disease, there is never enough time in a clinic session to finish everything. Here are a few helpful tips to make your next periodontal therapy appointment go a bit smoother.
Use something to help manage the water. Mr. Thristy by Zirc, the Releaf, Aersol Assist, just something to help keep the water at bay. Lots of time is used up by managing the low volume suction, making sure you’re in the right spot with it, or having to stop so the patient doesn’t drown. Save the hassle of figuring it out by using a device specifically designed to be comfortable to the patient and to manage the water from the ultrasonic.
Utilize your radiographs. As you’re instrumenting, do you feel somewhere weird? Not sure if it’s calculus or tooth? Look at the rads! They are your under gum road map to show what’s happening subgingivally. Take the few seconds to look as the tooth, instead of instrumenting over and over with no success.
Focus on the basics. Make sure you’re sitting at the correct chair position! I see this all the time- clinicians always sitting in the same 9:00 position, and straining to see so many areas, and probably missing lots of areas because of it. Moving your operator chair to 12 will make a huge difference with your time management, not to mention your ergonomics.
Make sure your instruments are sharp and ultrasonic inserts aren’t worn before the patient comes. You’ll save oodles of time if you’re not having to put as much pressure as you scale, or have to go over an area several times. Making sure you working instruments in their best condition will help.
What do you do to help save time during periodontal therapy?