Items filtered by date: September 2021

By: Laurie Ambrose, RDH

As a dental hygienist I can safely say I have taken 100’s of thousands (if not millions) of dental x-rays at this point in my career.  Not too much has changed in all these yearswith the exception ofdigital x-ray which thankfully has kept us out of the small dark rooms in the offices.  When we all started hygiene school wewere taughthow to take x-rays with the Rinnrings and holders because we knew nothing of how to line up an x-ray.  With more experience we were able to progress to Snap-A-Ray holders and cardboard bitewing tabs, which were game changers as a new hygienist.  Now there is a product that you SHOULD try that ups the game forthe you and your patients.  Microcopy Dental has a product called Flaps that is simple to use with both x-ray films and digital sensors.  These are disposable foam adhesive tabs that are like biting on a small marshmallow pillow instead of a thin piece of cardboard or hard plastic tab.  These tabs are easy to see for placement will not get soggy like the cardboard tabs for those patients that always seem to have an endless amount of saliva.  Flapscome in two sizes, regular (white) or long (blue).  The regular you use just like usual, just stick it where you need it on the film for horizontal or vertical bitewings and then dispose of after use.  The long tab gives you more of an option for those patients that have large lingual tori as it gives them more comfort in the placement of the film as you do not have the cardboard tab scraping the tori as they close.  You can also use the long size for periapical images with the digital sensors.  Just make sure you are using a snug fitting sensor sheath so you can apply the Flap on the sensor for the parallel or bisecting angle technique you are using.  When you position the sensor in the mouth just instruct your patient to place their tongue on the sensor for support and bite onto the Flap.    Then dispose and move on to the next area, simple and efficient.    Next time your trusted dealer representative stops in the office let them know you want to make the change to Microcopy Dental Flaps.  Your patients will thank you!