Dental Exam Disposable Gloves

Why do dentists wear disposable exam gloves?

Dentists wear medical exam gloves for barrier protection, grip, and safety. Whether you’re working on a standard cleaning, or a patient with braces, you need a high quality glove that won’t rip. Dentists can go through hundreds of gloves per week, that will end up in landfills. They are now looking for more eco-friendly options.

Do dentists use nitrile, latex, or vinyl gloves?

Nitrile have been more popular due to new formulations that are more durable, softer, and provide more superior protection. Nitrile are more durable and good for general tasks. Latex are good for quick dental procedures as long as the user is not allergic to latex. Latex can give dental clinicians the most accurate fit because of its elasticity. Vinyl dental gloves are an inexpensive replacement to latex but can break down during use, and cause possible hand fatigue.

Do dentists use sterile gloves?

Yes for surgical procedures. No for nonsurgical clinical procedures.

Where can you buy disposable gloves for dentists? On our website ecogloves.co What are the difference between high quality dental gloves and low quality dental gloves? High quality dental gloves don’t rip or tear easily, have superior grip, fit properly, and are comfortable because they were ergonomically designed. This is due to the material used, thickness of the material, and also manufacturing process. High quality gloves often have textured surfaces so dental clinicians can have grip in wet environments, this also reduces tiring out your hands. Glove texture can vary from the whole gripping area to just the fingertips. Low quality dental gloves rip or tear easily because they are typically thinner. They also have a lower AQL or acceptable quality limit compared to high quality dental gloves. Eco Gloves are a high quality dental glove that fits the needs of dentists around the world. How to properly remove and put on dental gloves? Grab the end of the cuff, and pull it completely off from outside to inside. Keep everything The goal is to put everything inside of a ball.

What are Dental Overgloves?

These are clear gloves that go over exam gloves to keep your hands clean when doing non-clinical tasks such as opening drawers, handling patient charts, grabbing instruments, and more. These dentist over gloves help prevent contamination-related waste. What are Dental Overgloves Made out of? Most overgloves are made of polyethylene plastic. There is a better alternative called Eco Gloves that is eco-friendly, more durable, and higher quality. What is the glove over glove technique when handling impression material with latex or nitrile gloves? Latex gloves are often used in dental clinical practices because of puncture resistance, durability, and user satisfaction. Vinyl/nitrile gloves have also been an option for certain use cases such as the preventing the impairment of the impression material for patients.

What disposable gloves should dentists choose?

Nitrile gloves are the most expensive, vinyl gloves have been associated with allergies, and also lack the puncture resistance, stretch resistance, and durability of latex gloves. Therefore, a new technique to solve this problem has been proposed. It’s called the glove over gloves technique. PE Gloves (which can be substituted by Eco Gloves) are placed over exam gloves, and then can be easily removed. PE gloves have decreased dexterity and durability compared to nitrile/vinyl/latex, but are great for light tasks and can be easily removed.

What is Aseptic Retrieval in a Dental Office?

Aseptic retrieval is getting supplies or grabbing an item without contaminating the area. You can do this by replacing your disposable gloves, or using an over glove.

What are Disposable Gloves in Dental Offices Typically Made of?

Here are the most popular materials when it comes to selecting gloves for dental offices: 

Nitrile Dental Disposable Gloves

Nitrile is a synthetic rubber that provides good barrier protection, it's strong, soft, and easy on the hands. It resists oils, acids, and chemicals. It can withstand temperatures of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. It is highly resistant to the chemicals found in skin cleansers and hand sanitizers. This makes it very useful for a wide variety of applications.

Vinyl Dental Disposable Gloves

Vinyl is also a natural material and is a popular choice. It is ideal for basic exam tasks in the dental office. It can handle everything from water to grease. These are commonly used for employees that are cleaning as well. 

Polyethylene Plastic Dental Disposable Gloves

Polyethylene is a synthetic material that is commonly known as plastic. They are the most economical gloves, thin and made for light-duty tasks and come in handy in settings where frequent glove changes are necessary. These are commonly used as over gloves on top of nitrile gloves. They are convenient, but due to the high usage, can be one of the least earth-friendly options.

Eco-Friendly Dental Disposable Gloves

Biopolymers and Compostable Polymers are essentially bio-based plastics  that are produced from natural sources and chemically synthesized from biological materials. This material resembles plastics visually and tactically but are actually biodegradable or compostable. They are a great alternative to polyethylene gloves because they serve the same function, and are great for tasks that require frequent glove changing. And what’s even better is that they emit 80% less carbon dioxide in the manufacturing process than petrochemical-based gloves and leave behind no toxins when they break down at the end of their life.

Eco Gloves are a Better Solution for Dental Offices

Looking to help the earth go eco-friendly and minimize the waste created by disposable gloves? Learn more, and buy Eco Gloves.

What are the Best Disposable Gloves for Dentistry?

Different disposable gloves are good for different scenarios, this includes everything from food prep and serving, to grilling and handling money. If you want to learn more about how to choose disposable gloves for your business, click here to read our guide on everything you wanted to know about disposable gloves.

One aspect to remember when choosing gloves are the environmental impacts associated with the use of disposable gloves. While recycling is a good next step in becoming more environmentally sustainable, bio based compostable gloves take it one step further. Compostable gloves turn into soil when properly processed.

Final Thoughts on Dental Medical Exam Disposable Gloves

Gloves are a crucial part of dentistry, ensuring the safety and health of patients worldwide. Medical organizations are doing their part to both protect their employees and also customers.

If you're looking for an eco-friendly disposable glove alternative to regular disposable gloves, check out Eco Gloves; they’re compostable and biodegradable, so you can minimize your carbon footprint. See how eco gloves can solve your disposable glove waste problem, one disposable glove at a time.