How to Re-Tip Dental Tools

There are many things that factor into the cost of dental care. The cost of materials is one of them. Dental instruments are costly and do not last forever. Often the tips of instruments are broken off during a procedure or the instrument has been sharpened so many times it is no longer usable. The cost of replacing every instrument that breaks or needs to be sharpened every year in a dental office would be staggering. Fortunately there are companies that specialize in re-tipping and sharpening instruments, saving the dentist a lot of money.

Things You'll Need

• Shipping box
• Bubble wrap
• Packing slip
• Packing tape

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Instructions

• 1

  Select a reputable company that specializes in re-tipping or the sharpening of dull instruments. Often hygiene instruments used for teeth cleaning are a large portion of the items needing to be sent for repair.

• 2

  Choose instruments that are no longer usable because of dull or broken edges, but verify their price with the supplier they came from. Re-tipping is not always the best deal, sometimes it is best to just replace the instrument.

• 3

  Set the instruments that are cheaper to replace aside. Focus on the ones needing to be sent for re-tipping or sharpening. Make a list of the brand name and the instrument name and how many of each will be sent.

• 4

  Wrap each instrument individually in a paper towel and lay it in the shipping box. Continue this until all of the instruments needing to be refurbished are in the box.

• 5

  Make a copy of the list of instruments being sent for repair. Include the name and address of your dental office. If the cost for the repairs is already known, include a check in the box. Often the price will be quoted by the repair company after inspection of the instruments, in which case the dentist can send payment then, or the company likely will send a bill when returning the re-tipped instruments.

• 6

  Pad any room left in the shipping box with bubble wrap and seal the box with packing tape.

• 7

  Prepare a shipping label with both addressee and the return address. Use the packing tape to tape this to the front of the shipping box.

• 8

  Ship the box to the repair company via the U.S. Postal Service, United Parcel Service or Federal Express. Be sure to purchase insurance.