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Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

DENTAL TRIBUNE | March 2011 Industry News 11A The primary arguments for why a dental hygienist should use loupes are essentially the same as why the dentist should use loupes. The use of a loupe forces a cer- tain working distance and, there- fore, posture. Truth be told, a hygienist spends more time over a patient each day than a typical dentist. This means that posture and reduced eyestrain is even more important for the hygien- ist than the clinician. The improved vision of the loupe does far more than make it easier for the hygienist to see. Not only will hygienists be able to perform the cleanings more quickly, the quality of the cleanings will be considerably higher and they will be less likely to miss issues that should be brought to the dentist’s attention. The economic argument for why the dentist should purchase high- quality loupes for his or her hygiene staff becomes clear. The most common cause of dis- ability claims for hygienists are neck, back, and eye strain. Every single day that a hygienist is out due to these kinds of repetitive injuries equates to a $3,000 loss of revenue for the practice. AD Arguments for providing loupes for dental hygienists By using loupes, patient through- put and satisfaction is improved. The number of billable proce- dures discovered during routine cleanings is increased based on the hygienist’s ability to better visual- ize and identify potential problem areas. The one argument against buy- ing loupes for hygienists is that the dentist fears the hygienist will leave and he/she will be out the money spent on the loupes as well as being out the hygienists. The beauty of the Heine HR loupes is that they can easily be re- customized for any new hygienist that would join the practice so they continue to retain their value. DT Fight oral cancer! Prove to your patients just how committed you are to fight- ing this disease by signing up to be listed at www.oralcancer selfexam.com. This website was developed for consumers in order to show them how to do self-examinations for oral cancer. Self-examination can help your patients to detect abnor- malities or incipient oral cancer lesions early. Early detection in the fight against cancer is crucial and a primary benefit in encouraging your patients to engage in self-examinations. Secondly, as dental patients become more familiar with their oral cavity, it will stimu- late them to receive treatment much faster. If dental professionals do not take the lead in the fight against oral cancer, who will? And in the eyes of our patients, they likely would not expect anyone else to do so — would you? (Photo/Provided by Heine)