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PATIENT AND OPERATOR POSITIONING | Up
Dental Technican, Volume 2 - Dentist training manual for military dentists | Next
SCREENING EXAMINATION |
Your unit light is kept at arms length above or in
front of the patient. The light should be easy to reach
but not near the patient's or operator's head.
Illumination of the treatment area becomes more
difficult when the light is positioned too close to the
patient. In addition the light generates a large amount
of heat. Direct the unit light from above the patient as
shown in figure 3-3.
The position of the bracket table should be low
enough to permit a clear view of the instruments. It
should also be a reasonable distance above and to the
side of the patient.
The patient's open mouth should be level with your
waist. This will enable you to reach the patient's mouth
while maintaining your arms at waist level. For
mandibular instrumentation, the patient will have his
or her mouth open in a chin-down position. Position
your legs under the back of the chair. The back of the
dental chair should touch the top of your legs, or you
may straddle the back of the chair with your legs.
Now you are ready to learn how to position yourself
around your patient in relation to the treatment areas
of the mouth. Operating positions for right-handed
and left-handed technicians are usually identified in
relation to a 12-hour clock (figs. 3-4 and 3-5).
Figure 3-4.—Operating positions-right-handed operator.
As you try various positions, notice how they
afford you a clear view of the treatment area. You will
not be able to obtain a clear view of the teeth surfaces in
the mouth through operator and patient positioning
Figure 3-3.—Unit light placement.
3-3
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