How do you maintain a waterline in a dental unit?

Dental waterline maintenance should be a consistent, repeatable protocol that each dental office develops and follows. With over hundreds of thousands of dental unit water data points, our team put together the Proven Protocol, an effective, simple, 3-step protocol for safe water.

The “Proven Protocol” to Waterline Compliance

The latest recommendations and research in infection prevention for dental unit waterlines show that every effective waterline maintenance protocol includes these three steps:

1. Shock: Shocking is to dental waterlines what a professional dental cleaning is to oral health–it is essential to ensure major buildup is removed and waterlines remain healthy. This step whips your dental waterlines into shape by using a strong disinfectant (like diluted bleach or Liquid Ultra) to completely rid your lines of contaminants to give them a fresh start every quarter.
2. Treat: If shocking is for dental waterlines was like a visit to the dentist’s office, treating is like daily brushing and flossing. To maintain the clean conditions made by shocking, all lines should use treatment products like straws or tablets to reduce and inhibit the re-growth of bacteria.
3. Test: This essential step helps evaluate the effectiveness of the maintenance efforts. Without testing, there is no way to know that your practice is delivering safe water to every patient. Testing also provides the documentation necessary to protect your practice if an infection is thought to be linked to your office.

Following this proven protocol will ensure that your dental waterlines are compliant. It may require some practice, but those who have successfully implemented this protocol have achieved safe water for both them and their patients.

If you are unfamiliar with how to create a protocol for your office, we encourage you to check out our Complete Guide to Dental Unit Waterline Maintenance where we outline more information about shocking, treating, and testing.