dental loupes for sale

Dental Loupes have been the biggest innovation in the field of dentistry. These devices have turned out to be pretty helpful to dentists while performing dental treatments. It is not known how many dental hygienists are actually wearing dental loupes, and what has been their experience with respect to dental loupes. So, here we are with a new survey to answer some of the most common questions regarding dental loupes.

There are plenty of benefits to wearing dental loupes. Some of the benefits experienced by dental hygienists in their dental practice are enhanced patient care, improved ergonomics, enhanced vision, and better working efficiency. But, in reality, how many dental hygienists actually wear dental loupes? What has been their experience so far with dental loupes? A majority of dental hygienists have found dental loupes to be pretty useful while performing dental treatments.

Let us have a look at some of the questions answered during the survey.

1. Are you currently wearing Dental Loupes?

The survey had 1769 respondents, out of which, 80.38% of dental hygienists indicated that they used to wear dental loupes all the time. Dental hygienists have to look for preventive measures, whether they are dealing with the patients or themselves. The best way to protect them and also prevent any musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) from occurring is to wear loupes while treating the patients.

Musculoskeletal diseases are known to be very common among dental hygienists. As per the report of a systematic review, it has been found that approximately 78% of dental hygienists suffer from MSDs where the most common areas of pain are the neck (58.5%), shoulder (43.1%), and upper back (41.1%). In various studies, it has been found that the use of surgical loupes improves the working posture of dental hygienists that would significantly reduce the chances of MSDs.

2. How do you feel about dental loupes?

When the dental hygienists were asked about their response to loupes, a majority of them (79.80%) indicated that they wear dental loupes all the time while treating patients and they loved the loupes. Other 9.16% of respondents indicated that loupes are an OK thing for them.

There was one response from a dental hygienist who said that he had retired, but he used to wear dental loupes every time while treating patients, and it came out to be very useful to him. He found the loupes working in his favor as it not only improved his posture and vision but also helped to enhance the working efficiency.

Not every dental hygienist had the same opinion for dental loupes. Approximately 11.05% of respondents said that they did not care about using dental loupes or gave some other reason for it. Some of the dental hygienists also stated that they never tried using loupes.

3. If you are not wearing dental loupes, then are you planning on purchasing them?

Among all the non-loupe wearers, a majority of them said that they are not thinking about purchasing dental loupes due to some of the other reasons. On the other hand, some people said that they would be purchasing dental loupes in the future or were actually undecided about what to do.

dental loupes
4. If you have already purchased dental loupes but do not wear them frequently, then what are your reasons for not wearing them all the time?

There are several benefits of dental loupes, but still, dental hygienists are not wearing them all the time. Some of them complained about a neck strain, heaviness, dizziness, headaches, issues of children getting scared, aggravating motion sickness, changing prescriptions, not able to see computer screens clearly with the loupes on, difficulty while disinfecting, difficult to wear them under a face shield, and some even said that their vision is better even without them.

Some of the dental hygienists also said that they couldn't afford loupes. One of the hygienists also stated that the loupes would smoosh his eyelashes and the entire vision got blurred due to the fog. On the other hand, some of them simply said that they are not able to get used to wearing loupes while working. One of the hygienists even said that he feels like he is in his own world and not able to communicate better with the patient while working with the loupes.

Some of these issues faced by the hygienists could be solved easily by wearing lighter and newer loupes that had a professional fitting.

Some hygienists had a myth that their vision would get deteriorated because of the use of loupes. However, it is pretty normal to see a decrement in close-up visual activity, as well as the process of aging, which can't be avoided. Due to the decrement in close-up visual activities with age, clinicians might find it difficult to visualize certain portions of the mouth. With the use of proper magnification loupes, it becomes pretty easy to reduce eye strain when there is a loss of visual activity.

5. Who has already purchased or is going to purchase your current loupes?

A majority of clinicians (81%) said that they had themselves purchased their current loupes. There were 10.48% of respondents who mentioned that their dentist had purchased loupes for them. There were some respondents who even said that the loupes did not fit well or were of cheap quality.

Loupes are a bit expensive when you go for good quality ones. So, it would be very much better if the dentists purchased high-quality loupes for their hygienists. This would not only help the hygienists, but it would also benefit the dentist as the patients would be receiving better care as the hygienists won’t have to suffer from MSDs.

According to one hygienist, she managed to convince her spouse to get her a pair of loupes as he was a dentist. This method worked for her, but all the other hygienists out there need to think of some way to convince the dentist for getting them a high-quality loupe.

Final Words

All hygienists should consider wearing dental loupes because it would improve their ergonomics and also help them provide better care to the patients. It would take some time to adjust yourself to use them all the time. Every hygienist should go with professional fitting options for effectiveness and comfort.