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What does isolation mean to you? Isolation can have multiple definitions.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says, “The state of one who is alone,” and suggests synonyms like solitude, segregation, and seclusion. Now, ask a dental professional what isolation means to them… they’ll probably say something like “the art of wrangling tongues, sucking spit, looking upside down, and retracting tissue while trying to stick a filling in a tooth before the floodgates open!” That’s what I’d describe it as. Yes, in dentistry isolation takes on a whole new meaning. Without isolation, quality dentistry would be impossible to accomplish.

How do we isolate in dentistry? The goal is to keep the tissue from the oral cavity out of the way and to use air/suction to maintain a dry field. Traditionally, we retract the tongue and cheeks by using a combination of a mouth mirror; our fingers; a variety of products like cotton rolls, dry angles, an air/water syringe; and high and/or low volume evacuation. After all of this, we’re ready to prepare materials, retrieve instruments, and complete the procedure. How many hands does this require? About five.

Whether it’s a composite or a root canal being performed, isolation is critical to the success of both procedures. I don’t have to tell you that this can sometimes be quite difficult to achieve for the dentist and assistant. And we can’t forget the hygienist down the hall who is trying to place a sealant. Everyone must perform all of the same steps to assure a dry working field, but accomplish it with too few hands!

What happens in the dental practice when the dental assistant calls in sick? If you are lucky, you might be able to pull somebody from another part of the office in to assist the doctor, but that isn’t always the case. I’ll tell you what usually happens – the doctor will go on with their day and see all of the scheduled patients and maybe even handle a couple of emergencies. They will struggle with isolation, retraction, and suction, in addition to finding instruments and materials. This will probably result in running behind schedule, making both the dental team and your patients stressed and crabby. When the day is finally done, the doctor may consider buying the dental assistant flowers and telling them how much they appreciate them! Those two additional hands are critical to a smooth and successful day at the practice.

Did you know that there is a severe shortage of dental assistants in the United States? There may come a time where dentists will be forced to work without an assistant regularly. Imagine having to work like this day after day, month after month, and so on! As an LDA, I know firsthand that a good dental assistant is irreplaceable. But in the event that the dental practice is short an assistant, there is a solution to help get through this staffing setback!

Zirc Dental Products has been designing and manufacturing innovative dental products for over 50 years in Buffalo, Minnesota. In fact, Zirc has the largest line of isolation devices available in the industry and offers all of them in one convenient trial kit – the Isolation 360™ Power Pack! This is the ultimate trial kit and contains six different single-use devices and enough for over 60 procedures! All of the isolation devices in the Isolation 360™ Power Pack are single-use and require no additional parts, assembly, or cleaning processes. OSAP and the CDC both identify that using disposable products is favorable in the prevention of cross-contamination in health-care settings. These easy-to-use products are designed to help clinicians be happier and more efficient, all while keeping patient comfort and safety in mind.

Each Isolation 360™ Power Pack contains the following single-use products:

• 5 Lingua-Fix®: A smart solution that retracks the tongue and provides hands-free low-volume suction.
• 10 Pink Petal®: A simple device that holds the saliva ejector in place – the back corner of the mouth, right where it is needed.
• 20 SE Cushions: When placed on the end of the saliva ejector, the SE Cushion protects the soft mucosa inside the mouth and under the tongue.
• 9 Airway Armor®: Airway protection that prevents the patient from aspirating or swallowing small dental objects.
  • 3 Small
  • 3 Medium
  • 3 Large
• 10 Mr. Thirsty® One-Step: A bite block; cheek and tongue retraction; airway protection; and hands-free high-volume suction that hooks directly into your HVE valve.
  • 5 Pedo/Small
  • 5 Medium/Large
• 10 Insti-Dam®: Convenient pre-punched and pre-framed dental dams which allows the clinician to take an x-ray without removing the dam.
  • 5 Original
  • 5 Relaxed Fit

The beauty of the Isolation 360™ Power Pack is that it gives every member of the dental team an opportunity to sample a variety of single-use isolation devices that they may not have known existed. Each individual team member will find devices that are best suited for them and the procedures that they perform. The Isolation 360™ Power Pack also includes a handy chart with recommendations for which device to use with various procedures. Whenever isolation devices are utilized, clinicians work more efficiently and reduce chair-time… and don’t forget – no clean up or sterilization!

Isolation is critical and cannot be ignored. Zirc has worked hard to put together the ultimate isolation trial kit that will decrease everyone’s stress and help the team to produce better results. Thanks to Zirc’s Isolation 360™ Power Pack, clinicians now have a variety of choices that will make their procedures quicker and easier to perform, in addition to keeping their patients safer and more comfortable.

Interested in trying Zirc’s Isolation 360™ Power Pack?
Visit zirc.com/360 and use promo code GDN360 to get $25 off!
Offer valid through April 30, 2020.

Written by Kay Hickey, LDA
Product Specialist, Zirc Dental Products
www.zirc.com
email:kay@zirc.com

Read Kay’s other articles:

• The Color Method: The Key To Organization For Your Group Practice
• How Your DSO Can Counter the Dental Assistant Shortage Crisis & Subsequent Production Reduction
• How a Dental Assistant Found a Way to Produce Additional Revenue of $72,000 Per Year with One Little Box

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