Cliff's Notes

Sterilization Pouches (What You Don’t Know), It’s Time to Give Kids A Smile!

Cliff’s Notes for July 25, 2010
…..E-Blast…..

Cliff Marsh, Henry Schein ……Cell: 201-321-7494……Fax: 201-262-2210…..E-mail: cliff.marsh@henryschein.com
http://www.cliffsnotesblog.wordpress.com

“How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see?”
Bob Dylan

In This Week’s Issue
• Henry Schein Cares & NYU Outreach Program!
• Sterilization Pouches ,What You Don’t Know, but Should!
• Give Kids A Smile!

New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry
Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program…………….

New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program participants traveled to Hudson, New York to provide oral health care to underserved children in the local Head Start program and to children who attend selected elementary and middle schools. NYU College of Dentistry Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program participants provided emergency dental services and complete comprehensive care for the pediatric population, including oral health screenings, fluoride varnish applications, sealants, restorative treatments and extractions.

Henry Schein has made a five year commitment to NYU College of Dentistry to provide dental supplies to support sustainable international and U.S. oral health programs to educate and treat and underserved populations.

In addition to Hudson, New York, the other geographic areas targeted for outreach in 2010 included the tri-island nation of Grenada; Chiquilistagua, Nicaragua; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Fort Yukon, Alaska; with a program to be initiated in Machias, Maine in fall 2010. NYU College of Dentistry Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program participants recently returned to Hudson, New York the week of June 14th. They volunteered all week at the John L. Edwards Primary School and Montgomery C. Smith Intermediate School in Hudson. Click here to see additional photos.
Click here to watch a related video.

Sterilization Pouches What You Don’t Know, but Should!………………………………………………
You spent a lot of money on your car and when you get it serviced you want the best materials to be used. The oil gets changed every 3k-5k miles and you want the best quality oil. The $10.00 difference in the final bill doesn’t mean anything when it comes to performance. My father always told me, keep the engine clean and the car will run good forever. Well, that holds true with the rest of the mechanical things in your life. This week we will discuss your $4000.00 sterilizer and the “hidden killer”, low quality sterilization pouches.

All modern table top autoclave sterilizers have filters due to the fact that they recycle the water that condensates at the bottom of the tank after the sterilization process. Why not, the water is sterile? However, dirt and debris are deposited in the chamber as the moisture exits the pouch through the paper side. You want to clean that filter on a monthly basis but most people don’t even know there is one. If you remove all the trays and racks from the chamber, in the back near the bottom you will see the filter. It can be removed and placed in the ultrasonic cleaner. Consult your owner’s manual for the procedure or call a service tech to show you.

As far as the pouches the killer is, believe it or not, the printing ink. Ink used on sterilization pouches is a special formulation. It is designed to withstand water and high temperatures. Some brands are formulated to change color when exposed to heat. Low quality ink will actually come off the pouch in very small quantities and may not be noticed in the slight fading of the manufacturers name. When draining the unit to clean it, you may notice the water has a blue or yellow tint to it. That is the remnants of the ink. That residue builds up over time and clogs everything. I learned this years ago when a Pelton & Crane autoclave came in for repair. The clean water reservoir had this blue sticky gunk that settled to the bottom. After consulting with the manufacturer and sending it to them for evaluation, they determined it was ink residue. Since then I have encountered this problem on numerous occasions and it always leads to a mechanical breakdown and an expensive repair.

Name brands such as Crosstex, PeelView, Defend, etc. use quality materials in the production of their pouches and that is why they cost a little bit more. Large distributors like Henry Schein and their peers usually have their house brands manufactured by one of these quality organizations. However, smaller companies with less resources choose to compete with price and in the long run it will cost you a lot more. I haven’t seen a sterilizer repair under $500.00 in years.

Unfortunately, today’s economic climate breeds low quality that is often marketed by price. There is an old saying, pay me now or pay me later and if it is later, there is always interest.

If you would like more information, please feel free to contact me at any time. As a side note, just because the ink turn color it does not mean the items have been sterilized. The ink turns color when exposed to a heat source. Put a pouch in your pocket for a few hours and your body heat will turn the ink. You should be using a digital sterilizer or specially designed sterilization indicators. I’ll cover that at another time.

Give Kids A Smile, Febuary 4, 2011…………………………………………………………………..
As Dylan said “how many times can a man turn his head.” It is time to start thinking about making a kid smile. This will be my 4th year involved with the program and every year it gives me chills. Several times I needed to leave a facility because I started to become emotional. Private offices, clinics and hospitals all take part in this day and enjoy the opportunity to give back to the community. Henry Schein’s dental division is fully commited to the effort and has a limmited number of pedo exam kits for our privileges member clients that we will supply at no charge to an office that wants to open for one day and provide examination services for under privileged kids. The kits will provide product for up to 50 exams. I will be providing more information as we approach the end of the summer, however, I do need to be notified as soon as possible in order to get you in line for the kits. They are on a first come first serve basis. Also, YOU MUST REGISTER ON THE ADA WEBSITE BEGINNING ON OCTOBER 1ST @ WWW.GIVEKIDSASMILE.ADA.ORG.

This link will take you to an ADA YouTube website that puts the program in perspective.

Q: What types of kits are available from Henry Schein Dental in 2011?
A: Screening and Prevention product kits will be available. Each kit is designed to treat up to 50 children, and includes the products listed below.
Q: If a GKAS site would like additional product to use on GKAS Day that isn’t included in the Henry Schein Dental kit, can they get it?
A: No, only product offered in the Henry Schein Dental Screening and Prevention kits are available.
Q: How will a site be notified if it was selected to receive product?
A: Sites should check back on the ADA Web site (www.givekidsasmile.ada.org) beginning mid December to see if your site was chosen to receive product.

Items included in the kit.
Gloves
Patient Bibs
Bib Holders
Masks
Plastic Cups
Gauze Pads
Dental Floss
Prophy Angles
Prophy Paste
Fluoride Gel / Foam
Fluoride Varnish
Fluoride Trays
Chair Sleeves
Tongue Depressors
Children’s Toothbrushes
Children’s Toothpaste

Sunday July 25, 2011……………………………………………………………………
Today is Sunday July 25th and it is still very hot. Let’s remember today when the winds of February are swirling around and it seems like the ice will last until June. Enjoy your family and the day.

Cliff Marsh
Henry Schein Dental
P.O. Box 663, 45 Rt. 46 East, Suite 605
Pine Brook, NJ 07058
tel. 201-321-7494
fax.201-262-2210
e-mail. cliff.marsh@henryschein.com
http://www.cliffsnotesblog.wordpress.com

July 25, 2010 - Posted by Cliff's Notes Blog | Uncategorized