Autoclave

Autoclave is a very important equipment in the dental field. An autoclave is used to sterilize re-usable instruments. An autoclave can sterilize solids, liquids, hollows and different types of instruments. Before instruments are placed in the autoclave they have to go through a rinse cycle through an ultrasonic cleaner. The ultrasonic cleaner will remove any debris and then instruments are pouched in sterilization bags, ready to go in the autoclave.  The autoclave works similar to a pressure cooker, they both use steam to kill bacteria, spores, and germs resistant to boiling water. 

Tabletop autoclaves are the most common types of autoclaves in the dental field. They are about the size of a microwave oven. The autoclaves sterilizes instruments by heating them above boiling point. The most common types of instruments that are used in the autoclave are metal instruments, such as hand pieces, syringes, and metal basic instruments.  There are some plastics that can be autoclave, but check your manufacture instructions to see the types of plastics that can be autoclave.

The autoclave main objective is to eliminate all microorganisms. The way to eliminate these microorganism is by setting the autoclave at 270 degrees for 30 minutes. For rubber items set autoclave to 250 degrees for 20 minutes.  For chemical 28-30 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes. These are all general instructions, check with your owners manual for specific instructions.

At Santa Ana Smiles on Bristol Dentistry we use a Tuttnauer autoclave. The machine goes through spore testing weekly to check that the machine is sterilizing the instruments. It also goes through it’s routine maintenance, such as cleaning the machine, and changing gasket to keep the pressure sealed correctly. Our staff are trained on how to operate and maintain the machine.  If you have any questions please contact our Santa Ana Dentist Dr. Danial Kalantari or your friendly staff of Smiles on Bristol Dentistry. contact us