Amalgam
separator are solid collectors installed on the vacuum
lines of dental offices. They use gravity to capture all waste amalgam, along
with any other solid material. As solids collectors, they don't separate
mercury from rest of the material that goes down the drain. All of the material
is stored in one canister, and mercury must be separated out at a recycling
facility. Most separators are certified to remove 99% of dental amalgam, a
level of effectiveness that exceeds the ISO standard and meets all local
regulations.
Amalgam
separators have, however, remained a bit of a mystery, and many dentists are
hesitant to install them.This hesitation has been due to the cost of purchasing
the unit, though some dealers are offering discounts and other incentives to
encourage adoption. Questions remain regarding how the mechanisms work the
difficulty of installation, and ongoing maintenance costs and the hassles.
Fortunately, all of these issues can be clearly addressed. In general, amalgam
separators are easy to install and operate. Chair side models may often be
installed in just a few minutes by the dental team member, though central
systems may require a little more time and the expertise of a plumber or
technician. Maintenance is minimal and typically involves only replacing the
container once it's full, generally every six to 12 months depending on the
size of the practice and the number of chairs feeding into the system.
In
evaluating Amalgam separators, the dental practice will want to consider the
number of operatories they have, and whether individual chair side separators
or a central system installed at the vacuum pump makes more sense. It's also
important that the model be ISO-certified for effectiveness, though most models
exceed this standard.Many brands of certified Amalgam separators are available
on the market, so discussing with a dealer about their differences and costs
can help to identify the best model for your practice.
Besides
producing clean air (no oil, no water), a dental
air compressor has some other features that are a
must-have for many dentists. As dental air compressor are installed in a clean
clinic, in a office-like environment (as opposed to an industrial environment),
the compressor needs to be quiet, small and work on a standard 220 / 100 volt
power outlet.As the dentist will be busy with its everyday job of fixing
peoples teeth, he won't be very concerned with dental air compressor
maintenance. So a maintenance free compressor would be ideal.
When
buying a dental air compressor, also make sure that the output (the amount of
air it can produce per minute or hour) is right for you. A too-small compressor
will give you problem for the obvious reason that the pressure will drop when
too many people use air at once.But a too big compressor can also cause
problems. If the dental air compressor is so big that it only runs for 5
minutes a day, every other day, than problems with corrosion can occur, as the
compressor never gets the chance to run for some time and get hot.
