Maintaining dental water lines - help!

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Edward Jones — Sat, 10 Nov 2018 15:32:42 GMT

It does look a bit like I coughed on it, doesn't it

I'll run the biofilm removal and maintenance additive then re-run the culture

Bob from vetdentist.info is really helpful.

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Niall Taylor — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 18:03:46 GMT

Call it a 'sustainable ecosystem' and you'd probably get a grant to maintain it!

Niall

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Edward Jones — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 15:48:47 GMT

The instructions that accompany the test kit say that less than 80 colonies is a pass, whilst over 100 is a fail. Apparently it's quite possible for the whole plate to get completely covered in coalescing colonies.

I counted 100. Edit: whoops - looking at the full size picture there's hundreds more tiny colonies that weren't visible under the naked eye!

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Niall Taylor — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 15:02:12 GMT

Sorry, I've neglected this thread but many thanks to everyone for the replies, much appreciated. Very disappointing I can't just pop down Tescos and get a bottle of bleach to do the job but there you are!

Cheers,

Niall

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Alison Clare Hickman — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 10:50:06 GMT

Edward Jones - me please!

Edit - I'm due a visit to my own dentist shortly... going to ask him what they do to sanitise their water lines...

Further edit: some helpful (general) info here (US website...) https://www.ada.org/en/member-center/oral-health-topics/dental-unit-waterlines

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Edward Jones — Sat, 03 Nov 2018 09:56:10 GMT

I'm currently running a 7 day test culture on water supplied through my hand-piece. A machine less than 2 years old but with no particular current maintenance of the water supply. Any one interested in seeing the plate?

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 18:02:10 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]not the ubiquitous stirrup pump[/quote]

Widespread possibly but I hope not ubiquitous nowadays..... I don't really understand your point. Even a stirrup pump can use fresh water can't it?

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"] I've never felt the need to flush it.[/quote]

You realise you do have a biofilm in your waterlines? And as the lines are so fine, that's rather more significant than the biofilm in your domestic pipes? When did you last do a bacteriological test on the water that comes out of your handpieces?

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 17:50:53 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]Apparently it may need thorough flushing with fresh water (according to one engineer). [/quote]Ours is connected to the cold water supply, not the ubiquitous stirrup pump, so it is constantly being flushed with fresh water. I've never felt the need to flush it.

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 17:43:39 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]I have to say we used CLS Solution and it ended with disaster. Everything clogged up completely! [/quote]

That's weird. I can only guess that you had a really heavy thick biofilm and when you made it sick bits broke away and clogged the 'oles.

CLS or straight chorhexidine (dodgy) is not intended to keep the lines free of biofilm, only to discourage it day-to-day and to kill most of the bugs that emerge from it. You still need periodic bacteriological testing, and a "deep clean" if the result is unsatisfactory.. QWS are a good firm:

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Bob Russell — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 14:36:14 GMT

I have to say we used CLS Solution and it ended with disaster. Everything clogged up completely!

We did not have a problem for a decade but as soon as we started to use this stuff it all went wrong!

Apparently it may need thorough flushing with fresh water (according to one engineer).

Did smell nice though.

RE: Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Edward Jones — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 13:21:32 GMT

https://www.vetdentist.info/ has a range of information and products designed for exactly this purpose - microbial testing, biofilm removal, cleaning, etc. Similar products as used in human dentistry.