SHARPENING FOR THE RDH DENTALELLE TUTORING

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Steven Burns
6 years ago
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1 SHARPENING FOR THE RDH DENTALELLE TUTORING

2 SHARPENING IS IMPORTANT! Sharp instruments are essential to effective and efficient patient care. They increase tactile sensitivity, lessen the pressure needed to scale, and reduce the chances of burnishing calculus deposits. The objective of sharpening is to produce a sharp cutting edge without changing the original design of the instrument. The cutting edge of the instrument is the junction of the face of the blade with the lateral surface. Sharpness can be evaluated both visually and tactilely. Dull instruments have a rounded cutting edge that reflects light back at you; this appears as a white line on the cutting edge of the instrument. You can test the sharpness with light pressure against your thumbnail or use an autoclavable plastic stick. If the instrument grabs the surface, it is sharp. There are several sharpening techniques and methods used that will produce a sharp instrument with out altering its original design. We will demonstrate on an unmounted flat stone with both curets and sickles.

3 PRINCIPLES Choose a stone appropriate for the instrument that needs to be sharpened. Use a sterilized stone if you are sharpening during patient treatment. Use the proper angle between the stone and the blade of the instrument. Maintain a firm grasp of both the stone and the instrument keeping the entire surface of the blade even with the stone to produce a proper cutting edge. Use up and down strokes finishing with a down stroke toward the cutting edge. The angle between the face of the blade and the lateral surface of any curet is degrees for the most effective calculus removal.

4 STONES Synthetic stone composed of aluminum oxide crystals with a fine or medium grit. Oil lubrication is required when sharpening with these stones. Ideal for reconditioning/re contouring sharpening and maintenance sharpening.

5 COMPOSITION STONES Feature a coarse aluminum oxide stone for recontouring of lateral and facial surfaces. Range of shapes and sizes for your advanced sharpening needs. For best results, use in conjunction with magnification.

6 CERAMIC STONES Hard synthetic stones available in either fine or medium grit Excellent for routine sharpening of dental instruments Use water as lubrication When sharpening, there will be an accumulation of metal filings rather than "sludge"

7 ARKANSAS STONES Natural, quarried stone with a fine grit Ideal for honing, light recontouring and maintenance sharpening These stones may be used dry. For best results, oil lubrication is recommended. Fast Fact: Oil serves as a vehicle to float the metal particles as they are ground away from the blade and prevents those shavings from becoming imbedded in the stone. The buildup of these shavings in the oil is referred to as "sludge."

8 TECHNIQUE The oldest method of instrument sharpening is the handheld moving stone/ stationary instrument technique. This method allows the hygienist to see the shape of the blade from heel to toe, thereby maintaining the contour of the instrument while sharpening the cutting edge. The general technique is performed as follows: 1. Select the appropriate stone for the degree of instrument dullness. Lubricate the stone based on manufacturer's suggestions. When sharpening is necessary during patient treatment, using an oil lubricant is contraindicated as there is no effective method to sterilize oil. Some stones do not require oil lubrication. 2. Hold the instrument firmly against a stable surface such as a countertop. Point the toe of the instrument toward your body and place the face of the blade parallel to the floor. The instrument should be held low enough to look down on the face to visualize the contour 3. Hold the stone in the dominant hand by grasping the stone at either end with the thumb on top and fingers on the bottom or a palm grasp near the bottom

9 CONTINUED 4. Position the stone on the lateral side of the instrument, near the heel of the working end at a 90º angle (12 o'clock) to the face of the blade. Move the stone from the 90º position to 110º (1 o'clock) 5. Begin the sharpening motion on a downstroke, moving the stone down and up while maintaining the 110º angulation. The downstroke should consist of firm pressure, whereas the upstroke should be lighter. 6. Continue the down/up motion, following the contour of the cutting edge until the toe is reached. Stop the sharpening procedure on a downstroke to reduce the chance of creating a wire edge.

10 CONTINUED 7. Reposition the stone on the lateral side of the opposite cutting edge of the instrument near the heel at a 90º angle (12 o'clock). Move the stone to an 80º degree angle (11 o'clock) and repeat the sharpening technique on the opposite cutting edge. 8. During the sharpening process, observe for a layer of sludge. The appearance of sludge indicates that the correct stone to cutting edge angle is being maintained. Wipe the sludge from the instrument using a gauze square. 9. Test the instrument for sharpness using a plastic test stick. Place the cutting edge against the test stick so the face of the blade is leaning into the stick. Press the instrument into the test stick to feel a catch or to listen for a "pinging" sound. The entire procedure should include approximately four to five stroke sequences and the down/up movement of the stone should be 1/2 inch to 1 inch in length.

12 SICKLE Sickle scalers have two cutting edges and a pointed tip. Examine the shape and contour of the face of the blade and cutting edges. The majority of sickles have a flame shaped contour, which means the cutting edges are not straight but gently curved from heel to toe. When sickle scalers are flame-shaped, the entire cutting edge cannot be placed against the sharpening stone. The stone should be positioned at the heel portion of the working end and then rotated along the cutting edge until the stone is flat against the side of the tip. If the sickle is triangular in design with straight cutting edges, then the entire cutting edge can be sharpened at one time by placing it along the stone.

13 CURETS Area-specific curets, such as Gracey curets, have two edges and a rounded toe. However, only one cutting edge is used for instrumentation. When the terminal shank of a Gracey curet is perpendicular to the floor, the face of the blade is angled or "offset" from the shank to create an upper and lower cutting edge. The most important step in sharpening these curets is to determine the correct cutting edge to be sharpened. The cutting edge used in instrumentation is the lower cutting edge. To position the instrument correctly for sharpening, the face of the blade must be placed parallel to the floor. The hygienist should examine the angle of the face when the terminal shank is perpendicular to the floor, then determine whether the handle should be moved to the right or the left to make the face of the blade parallel to the floor. The sharpening stone should be placed at the heel of the blade and rotated along the cutting edge until the stone contacts the line angle of the toe.

14 RESOURCES Darby and Walsh Clinical Dental Hygiene

Before each patient, and at the first sign of dullness. When To Sharpen

Before each patient, and at the first sign of dullness. When To Sharpen 3 4 Why Are We Here? Identify & preserve inst shape, sharpness, strength Understand inst landmarks & how to use them Evaluate, try, compare diff methods & technology?????????????? A Dull Story New (big