The Pros and Cons of Using a Curette Sharpening Service
Posted on: 14 December 2021
Any professional who relies on tools to do their job knows that the job runs the smoothest and is accomplished most efficiently when tools are consistently maintained and stored correctly. For dentists, curettes are some of the most important tools in use every day on the job. Although many dentists choose to maintain dental tools in-house, others have opted to utilize curette sharpening services. If you're a dental professional considering making the same choice, here are the pros and cons.
Pros of Using a Curette Sharpening Service
Consistency
Sharpening a delicate medical instrument is not the same as sharpening a kitchen knife or a pocketknife. It's requires serious skill and most importantly, consistency. You need to know that the tools used to complete the delicate dental procedures in your patients' mouths are always sharp and clean every time you pick up the tool. Curettes are especially tricky because they must be sharpened precisely at an angle between 70 and 80 degrees. Hiring a service gives a dental practice access to sharpeners with the skill and experience to do this right every time.
Efficiency
Another reason that many dentist's hire professional sharpening services is to take advantage of the time it saves. When you're focused on running a busy practice, any chance to save time is valuable. Freehand sharpening can take several minutes for each instrument. When you add multiple instruments into each sharpening session, you might be adding an hour or more to someone's day – and that is time that must be paid for.
Precision
Having a cutting instrument that is consistently maintained and sharpened allows you to achieve more precision in your dental practice. Attacking calculus with a sharp tool will help avoid burnished calculus, an issue that will add time to each patient visit. A sharp instrument allows for precision while also cutting down on the muscle fatigue caused by dull blades.
Cons of Using a Curette Sharpening Service
Cost
The most obvious disadvantage of using a sharpening service is that it will cost more up-front than sharpening your own tools in-house. However, considering the time saved by not doing maintenance in-house, your practice might end up saving more money than is spent long-term.
Availability
Another disadvantage of hiring an outside sharpening service is that, unless you make sure to plan in advance, you might not have freshly sharpened tools exactly when you need them. That's why it's essential to vet the sharpening service before signing up to avoid services that are consistently late or unreliable. Make sure to talk to other practices that use sharpening services to see if someone can offer a glowing recommendation.
For more information contact a Curette Sharpening Service in your area.
Share