Do's and Don'ts to disinfect Dental Loupes
Dental Loupes are an optical instrument used by hygienists, dentists and clinicians for clarity and supervision. Cleaning and disinfection of loupes are important to keep yourself safe and your patients safe from viruses and other health problems. After the outbreak of coronavirus worldwide, the importance of cleaning and sanitization has grown more important.
Apart from dust and grease the dental loupes may collect debris from the surrounding, for instance, small particles of metal or tooth structure which may scratch the lenses if not cleaned. As Loupes are one of the essential equipment used by dentists while treating patients, it should be clean and disinfected frequently.
In the following blog, we will discuss do's and don'ts while cleaning the dental loupes.
1 First, wash or sanitize your hands
You tend to touch dozens of different things in a day with hands so before starting to clean your dental loupes or any other instrument it is essential to clean your hands with soaps or sanitizer. While cleaning your loupes the last things you want are germs or viruses transferring from your hands to your lenses. So, it is important to wash or sanitize hands also, you need to make sure that you're not applying any lotion on your hand because it could make glasses greasy leaving fingerprints or making it cloudy.
2 For loupes that are water-resistant
If your dental loupes are water-resistant, you can rinse off grease or dust from water lavage or spray a few droplets of water. After washing, make sure to wipe the loupes and microscopic barrels softly with a microfiber lens cloth. Additionally, make sure you cover the optical loupe with a lens cap when not in use. The lens cap will save the lenses dust and scratches. If you don't have a lens cap, you can purchase it from any local optical shop.
3 For loupes that are non-water resistant
If your dental loupes are non-water resistant, then you can use compressed air to clean the dirt from the loupes. After blowing off the dirt, use a wet microfiber cloth dipped in either water, lysol disinfectant, mild soapy liquid or any cleaning solution suggested by your loupes manufacturers. The final step is to clean the loupes with a soft dry cloth, removing the extra wetness and moisture from the lens.
4 Always keep them in case.
Loupes are delicate and may get damaged if placed on the hard and pointed case or outside. So, always use a case provided by the manufacturer for protecting your loupes.
5 Clean Dentist Headlight
To clean dental loupes with headlight, first, turn off the lamp to let it cool down. Then wet the cloth with the solution recommended by the manufacturer and wipe the glass reflector.
Things to avoid while cleaning loupes:
1 Don't wipe it using a cotton wool cloth.
The first thing you need to do is to stop using a cotton wool cloth to clean the lenses. Generally, people tend to use any fabric to clean, which is wrong. A cotton wool cloth or any fabric has small particles stuck on them that can lead to scratches. Hence always use a microfiber cloth to clean the lenses to avoid scratch. The scratches on your lens not only decrease the view quality but also affect your eye in a negative way in a long way.
2 Don't use window cleaner on it.
In earlier days the lenses were made up of proper glass. But nowadays with technological advancement the lenses are made up of different material or mix material hence the cleaning agent that suits for the glass may not be suitable for loupe lenses and instead of cleaning it may affect the coating. So, one has to select the proper liquid solution that is specifically made to clean lenses rather than normal glass. This will keep the lenses dust and grease free for a longer period.
3 Don't dip entire loupe in water
Never submerge the loupes inside the water or any cleaning solution and never put it under running water. It is because the adhesives used in making the loupe may weaken up.
4 Don't apply the cleaning solution directly
The lenses are coated with multiple chemicals, for instance, anti-reflective and scratch-proof coating. So, if you directly apply the disinfectant on the loupe, you may damage the coating. It may also deface the adhesives used for putting together the loupe components.
5 Don't sterilize
Using ultrasonic, steam, chemical or gamma radiation to sterilize the loupe may be detrimental as layering used in oculars will get affected. Additionally, the oculars carrying the lenses may also loosen up.
In Summary
Cleaning the dental loupes from time to time and using the proper method and material to clean can increase the life of loupes. It also enables the user to have a clear vision while performing the treatment.
Schultz manufactures best dental loupes using high-grade material and latest technology for reliability and durability.