Hygiene Atlas

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Machines and equipment

A dental office runs on a lot of equipment, and most of it lives in four places: the operatory (treatment room), the sterilization area, the utility room where the air and suction machines hum, and the lab. You do not need to know how to repair any of it. You do need to know what each machine does, how to spot it, and the simple daily care that keeps it safe.

Care steps vary a lot between brands and models, so the owner's manual and your office protocol always win. Where a step is a general rule from the CDC, OSHA or EPA, we say so. Where it depends on the model, we tell you to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Sterilization area

Machines that clean, package and sterilize instruments between patients.

  1. Steam autoclave (tabletop steam sterilizer) A pressure chamber that kills all germs on instruments with hot steam.
  2. Prevacuum steam sterilizer A steam sterilizer with a pump that pulls air out before the steam goes in.
  3. Cassette autoclave A small, fast steam sterilizer where a slide-out cassette becomes the chamber.
  4. Unsaturated chemical vapor sterilizer A sterilizer that uses heated chemical vapor instead of water steam.
  5. Dry heat sterilizer An oven that sterilizes instruments with very hot, dry air.
  6. Ultrasonic cleaner A tank of cleaning solution that shakes debris off instruments with sound waves.
  7. Instrument washer-disinfector A dishwasher-like machine that washes instruments and disinfects them with hot water.
  8. Heat sealer A machine that closes sterilization pouches with a heated seal.
  9. Handpiece cleaning and lubrication station Where handpieces are cleaned and oiled before they are sterilized.
  10. Spore test incubator A small warmer that grows spore tests to show whether a sterilizer worked.

Operatory equipment

Chairside machines you will set up, use and wipe down every day.

  1. Dental chair The motorized chair that positions the patient for treatment.
  2. Delivery unit The control unit that holds the handpieces, air-water syringe and their hoses.
  3. Operatory light The bright, adjustable light aimed into the patient's mouth.
  4. Air-water syringe A handheld tip that sprays air, water or a mist of both.
  5. High-volume evacuator (HVE) A wide suction tip that pulls fluids, debris and spray out of the mouth.
  6. Saliva ejector (low-volume suction) A thin, bendable straw that gently removes saliva and water.
  7. Dental unit waterline and independent water bottle The bottle and thin tubing that supply water to handpieces, scalers and the syringe.
  8. Curing light A handheld blue light that hardens sealants, composites and bonding agents.
  9. Ultrasonic or piezo scaler unit A power scaler whose vibrating tip knocks off tartar while water cools it.
  10. Air polisher A handpiece that blasts a fine powder, air and water to remove stain and biofilm.
  11. Amalgamator A shaker that mixes a sealed capsule of filling material.
  12. Apex locator An electronic device that measures how long a root canal is.
  13. Nitrous oxide unit A gas machine that gives nitrous oxide and oxygen through a nose mask.

Imaging

X-ray units, sensors and cameras that capture pictures of the teeth and jaws.

  1. Intraoral x-ray unit The wall-mounted x-ray machine used for bitewings and periapical images.
  2. Digital x-ray sensor A small corded plate that captures an x-ray image straight to the computer.
  3. Phosphor plates and PSP scanner Thin, flexible plates that store an x-ray image until a scanner reads it.
  4. Panoramic x-ray unit A machine that circles the head to take one wide image of both jaws.
  5. CBCT unit A 3D x-ray machine for implants, root canals and complex cases.
  6. Intraoral camera A small camera wand that shows teeth up close on a screen.
  7. Intraoral scanner A wand that takes a 3D digital impression instead of a tray of impression material.

Utility room

The hidden machines that make air pressure and suction for every chair.

  1. Dental air compressor The machine that makes the compressed air that runs handpieces and syringes.
  2. Central vacuum (suction) pump The machine that powers the HVE and saliva ejectors in every room.
  3. Amalgam separator A filter that catches mercury-containing amalgam before it goes down the drain.

Lab

Bench machines for pouring, trimming and polishing models and appliances.

  1. Model trimmer A spinning, water-cooled grinding wheel that shapes the bases of stone models.
  2. Dental lab lathe A bench motor with spinning wheels for polishing dentures and appliances.
  3. Lab vibrator A small shaking platform that removes air bubbles when pouring stone.

Emergency equipment

Life-saving equipment every office keeps ready and checked.

  1. AED A portable device that can shock a stopped heart back into rhythm.
  2. Emergency oxygen A portable tank of oxygen with masks for medical emergencies.