Where's Water? At Hilldale Dental!
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Last week at the dentist’s office when my dental hygienist asked me to close my lips around, “Mr. Thirsty,” I eagerly complied. I think she could tell I was starting to get a little squirmy in the chair. I had been doing my best to keep my mouth open while it slowly filled to the brim with gritty bubblegum flavored tooth polish and a hefty amount of water.
She inserted the long white suction tube and, ah, nothing left behind but squeaky clean teeth!
Water is an essential ingredient in the dental experience and not just for the obvious reasons of rinsing debris from the mouth during cleanings. It helps keep the patient comfortable and helps keep areas the dentist and hygienist are working on visible.
As a patient, one of the most important functions of water at the dentist I was not aware of is to keep dental equipment in top working order and protect tooth surfaces.
Many of the handpieces used by the dentist to perform procedures are run by electricity. Without water constantly running during operation to cool the handpiece and the mouth, heat generated from the motor and high-speed spinning parts would damage both the equipment itself and the surface of the teeth through overheating.
At the dentist, water rinses, cools, and cleans.
After each patient visit, reusable pieces of equipment are taken to a special area where they are loaded into an ultrasonic cleaner. An ultrasonic uses water, along with added cleaning agents, to create tiny bubbles that implode. When the bubbles burst, they budge debris from hard-to-reach areas on the equipment that would be difficult to clean by hand.
So how much water does the dentist go through in a week? For the water syringe alone, Hilldale Dental hygienist Taylor reports that she fills up her machine’s two-liter water bottle around one time per week, seeing an average of six to ten patients per day.
That’s not as much as I would have guessed; however, multiply that by several hygienists plus the water used to sterilize equipment, and to wash hands before and after patients, and the water meter is spinning away.
She reported that it’s also common for patients to ask for their complimentary toothbrush when they arrive for their appointment so they can brush their teeth before they are seen.
Good brushing habits and quality water are top of mind at the dentist. The Center for Disease Control provides key recommendations for dental unit water quality. Number one is making sure water used meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory standards for drinking water.
It’s good to know Madison’s tap water meets all state and federal standards for drinking water quality and received top marks on the Wisconsin Waterworks Excellence Project Report Card.
At the dentist, water makes teeth—and people—happy!
Learn More
- 4 reasons Water is the Best Beverage for Your Teeth
- Know exactly what’s in your water in Madison. Read the latest Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
- Read the Wisconsin Waterworks Excellence Project Report Card
- Check out additional Where's Water? stories to learn how other Madison businesses use water
This content is free for use with credit to the City of Madison Water Utility.
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