CHC Planning Guide 2017 - 34

Guidance & Expertise from CHC Dental Leaders

Dental Specific Resources to Help You with Your Green Goals:
* Clinical dental cabinetry: Ask your local equipment specialist about 'green alternatives'. There are now
efficiently designed, beautiful, and sustainable choices just for clinical areas.
* Dry vacuum: As you know the dental vacuum is an essential part of your utility room. The dry vacuum
requires slightly higher initial investment but will save you hundreds of gallons of water a day: good for your
utility costs and great for water conservation. Dry vacuums perform very well and reliably.
* Water Recycler for Wet Ring Vacuum: if you must use a wet-ring vacuum, you can achieve good water
savings by adding a recycler.
* Dental Practice Management Software: Perhaps the single most important change you can make to your
community health center that will improve efficiency, accuracy, productivity, and at the same time reduce
storage requirements and use of paper. This is truly a 'win' for your clinic and the environment.
* Digital Radiography: Traditional film requires the use and disposal of toxic chemicals and metals.
Implementing digital radiography is about as important as an electronic record in how it will positively
impact how you effectively deliver care while achieving great things for the environment.
* Steam sterilizers (autoclaves): These not only provide consistent sterilization results when used correctly
but do not require toxic and potentially carcinogenic chemicals that turn into gases or require disposal.
* Dental Light: There is now an energy efficient dental light alternative that also provides superior illumination
of the patient's mouth during treatment.
* Amalgam Separator: If you are going to provide amalgam (silver fillings) restorations to your patients, adding
an amalgam separator will help improve the quality of waste that enters the sewer system.
* Composite restorations: Consider wherever appropriate for patient care, the use of composite restorations
for repairing decayed teeth instead of the traditional amalgam filling. Manufacturers now provide
sophisticated and well-researched products that may work well in your setting and for many of your
patients.
* Cleaning materials: Henry Schein offers a line of 'green' cleaning and infection control products. You can
review these on-line or in the Henry Schein catalog.
* Recycling Programs: Dental products arrive in packages and containers that are often recyclable. Developing
a plan to recycle the appropriate paper, plastics, metals, and glass is a simple, inexpensive step your
program can take.
* Online Dental Catalog: Access the Henry Schein catalog online. It provides detailed information about
products and frequently includes pictures. Online ordering is fast, accurate, and efficient. The Henry Schein
system allows for management approval of orders submitted by dental staff before transmission to Henry
Schein for fulfillment. Your office can also access invoices and reports on-line. If you would like to learn
more about ordering and reporting capabilities made available to you, please ask to schedule training.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CHC Planning Guide 2017