Instruments Care
Protect Your Instruments. Preserve Their Performance.
Proper care and maintenance are essential for keeping dental and surgical instruments clean, functional, precise, and ready for clinical use. At Blue Marlin Surgical, we believe that quality instruments deserve proper handling throughout their working life.
This guide provides practical recommendations for the cleaning, inspection, sterilization, handling, storage, and maintenance of dental and surgical instruments.
Important: Always follow the manufacturer’s specific instructions for use (IFU), especially for sterilization temperatures, exposure times, detergents, lubrication, and instruments with special coatings, joints, or delicate working ends.
Why Instrument Care Matters
Dental and surgical instruments are precision tools. Regular and appropriate care can help:
- Maintain instrument functionality
- Preserve cutting edges and working surfaces
- Reduce corrosion and staining
- Protect hinges, joints, and locking mechanisms
- Extend the useful life of instruments
- Support effective sterilization
- Reduce unnecessary replacement costs
- Keep instruments organized and ready for clinical procedures
Proper instrument care begins immediately after an instrument is used and continues through cleaning, inspection, sterilization, and storage.
The Instrument Care Process
A professional instrument-care routine can be organized into six important stages:
01. Immediate Handling
Prevent blood, tissue, and other materials from drying on the instrument.
02. Cleaning
Remove organic and inorganic contamination using an appropriate cleaning process.
03. Inspection
Check every instrument for cleanliness, damage, corrosion, alignment, and functionality.
04. Maintenance
Lubricate appropriate hinged and moving instruments using a product approved for sterilization.
05. Sterilization
Sterilize instruments according to the manufacturer’s IFU and your facility’s validated procedures.
06. Storage
Keep sterilized instruments protected, dry, and organized until they are required.
01. Immediate Care After Use
Instrument care should begin as soon as possible after a procedure.
Do not allow blood, tissue, cement, impression material, or other contaminants to dry on instruments.
Recommended practices
- Remove gross contamination promptly.
- Keep instruments moist when immediate cleaning is not possible.
- Use an appropriate instrument pre-treatment solution when recommended.
- Separate delicate instruments from heavy instruments.
- Open hinged instruments before cleaning.
- Avoid placing sharp instruments loosely with other instruments.
- Follow your facility’s procedures for safe transportation to the decontamination area.
Avoid
- Allowing biological material to dry on instruments
- Leaving instruments submerged in saline for prolonged periods
- Using unsuitable chemicals or disinfectants
- Throwing instruments together where working ends can be damaged
02. Cleaning Your Instruments
Cleaning is one of the most important stages of instrument care.
Sterilization cannot replace proper cleaning. Organic material and debris should be removed before sterilization.
Manual Cleaning
When manual cleaning is required:
- Wear appropriate personal protective equipment.
- Use an instrument-compatible cleaning solution.
- Follow the detergent manufacturer’s recommended concentration.
- Clean instruments carefully using suitable brushes or cleaning tools.
- Pay particular attention to joints, serrations, grooves, and working surfaces.
- Rinse thoroughly with appropriate water.
- Inspect the instrument before proceeding to sterilization.
- Dry completely.
Important
Avoid excessive force when cleaning delicate instruments. Aggressive brushing or unsuitable cleaning tools can scratch surfaces and damage precision working ends.
Ultrasonic Cleaning
Ultrasonic cleaners can be useful for removing debris from suitable instruments.
Before ultrasonic cleaning:
- Check whether the instrument is compatible with ultrasonic cleaning.
- Follow the ultrasonic cleaner manufacturer’s instructions.
- Use the recommended cleaning solution and concentration.
- Open hinged instruments.
- Avoid overloading the cleaning chamber.
- Ensure instruments are positioned correctly.
After cleaning:
- Rinse instruments thoroughly.
- Dry them completely.
- Inspect each instrument before packaging and sterilization.
Do Not Ultrasonically Clean Instruments Unless They Are Suitable
Some delicate instruments, specialized components, or instruments with particular coatings may require alternative cleaning methods.
Always follow the manufacturer’s IFU.
03. Inspection
After cleaning, every instrument should be carefully inspected.
Look for:
Cleanliness
Make sure there is no:
- Blood
- Tissue
- Cement
- Bone debris
- Organic material
- Cleaning residue
Physical Damage
Check for:
- Cracks
- Bends
- Dents
- Scratches
- Loose components
- Damaged handles
- Deformed working ends
Functional Condition
For instruments with moving parts, check:
- Hinges
- Joints
- Springs
- Locks
- Ratchets
- Alignment
- Cutting performance
Sharp Instrument Care
Instruments with cutting edges require particular attention.
Examples include:
- Scalpels
- Curettes
- Scalers
- Bone files
- Surgical scissors
- Elevators
- Other precision cutting instruments
Avoid contact between sharp working ends and other metal instruments during cleaning, transportation, sterilization, and storage.
A damaged or dull instrument may not perform as intended and should be evaluated according to your facility’s instrument-maintenance procedures.
04. Instrument Lubrication
Some instruments contain hinges, joints, or other moving components that may require lubrication.
Examples include:
- Forceps
- Scissors
- Needle holders
- Pliers
- Hemostats
- Hinged surgical instruments
Use only a lubricant designed for surgical/dental instruments and compatible with the sterilization process.
Proper lubrication helps support:
- Smooth movement
- Reduced friction
- Protection of moving surfaces
- Longer service life
Do not use household oils or unsuitable lubricants.
05. Sterilization
Sterilization is a critical part of instrument reprocessing.
The appropriate sterilization method depends on the instrument design, materials, and manufacturer’s instructions.
Common sterilization systems may include:
- Steam sterilization/autoclaving
- Other validated sterilization methods where specifically permitted
Before sterilization
Make sure instruments are:
- Thoroughly cleaned
- Properly rinsed
- Completely dry
- Inspected
- Properly assembled or opened as required
- Correctly packaged
- Suitable for the selected sterilization method
Steam Sterilization
Many reusable dental and surgical instruments are compatible with steam sterilization when processed according to their manufacturer’s instructions.
However, temperature, pressure, exposure time, drying requirements, and packaging requirements vary by instrument and sterilizer cycle.
Therefore:
Always follow the instrument manufacturer’s IFU and the sterilizer manufacturer’s validated cycle requirements.
Never select a sterilization cycle simply because it is commonly used for another instrument.
06. Drying Is Important
Moisture left on instruments after cleaning or sterilization can contribute to:
- Corrosion
- Water spotting
- Staining
- Packaging problems
- Instrument deterioration
Ensure instruments are properly dried according to the applicable reprocessing procedure before storage.
Pay particular attention to:
- Hinges
- Joints
- Hollow areas
- Serrations
- Internal surfaces
Preventing Corrosion and Staining
Proper handling can significantly reduce the risk of corrosion and staining.
Recommended
- Use appropriate instrument-compatible detergents.
- Follow recommended detergent concentrations.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Use appropriate water quality for your reprocessing system.
- Dry instruments properly.
- Avoid prolonged exposure to saline.
- Keep instruments free from chemical residues.
- Inspect instruments regularly.
Avoid
- Chloride-containing solutions unless specifically approved for the application
- Strong or unsuitable chemicals
- Excessive detergent concentration
- Prolonged soaking
- Mixing incompatible metals unnecessarily
- Storing wet instruments
Caring for Hinged Instruments
Hinged instruments need special attention because debris can accumulate around their joints.
Examples include:
- Scissors
- Forceps
- Needle holders
- Hemostats
- Surgical pliers
- Orthodontic pliers
Care procedure
- Open the instrument during cleaning.
- Clean around the hinge thoroughly.
- Rinse completely.
- Dry thoroughly.
- Inspect the hinge.
- Apply suitable instrument lubricant when required.
- Move the instrument several times to distribute the lubricant.
- Remove excess lubricant if required by the lubricant manufacturer.
- Proceed with packaging and sterilization.
Caring for Cutting Instruments
Cutting instruments require careful handling to preserve their working edges.
Important practices
- Keep cutting edges separated from other instruments.
- Do not drop or throw instruments into trays.
- Avoid unnecessary contact between sharp surfaces.
- Use suitable protective measures during transportation.
- Inspect cutting edges regularly.
- Remove damaged instruments from service for evaluation.
Never use excessive force to compensate for an instrument that is not performing correctly.
Caring for Dental Hand Instruments
Dental hand instruments should be handled according to their specific design and intended use.
Examples include:
- Explorers
- Mirrors
- Excavators
- Condensers
- Spatulas
- Scalers
- Curettes
- Pluggers
- Periodontal instruments
Pay particular attention to:
- Working-end integrity
- Handle condition
- Surface cleanliness
- Corrosion
- Sharpness where applicable
- Proper alignment
Caring for Orthodontic Instruments
Orthodontic pliers and cutters contain precision working surfaces and moving joints.
Recommended care
- Clean immediately after use.
- Pay attention to hinges and serrated surfaces.
- Avoid excessive force.
- Protect cutting edges.
- Lubricate suitable joints.
- Inspect alignment.
- Store carefully to prevent working-end damage.
Wire cutters and other cutting instruments should be stored so that their cutting edges do not contact other metal instruments.
Caring for Surgical Instruments
Surgical instruments require careful handling because many contain delicate working ends, hinges, serrations, and precision mechanisms.
Examples include:
- Retractors
- Scissors
- Needle holders
- Forceps
- Elevators
- Osteotomes
- Periosteals
- Scalpels
- Surgical accessories
Separate delicate instruments from heavier instruments during handling and transportation whenever possible.
Instrument Inspection Checklist
Before an instrument is returned to service, check:
✓ Cleanliness
No visible contamination or residue.
✓ Surface condition
No unacceptable corrosion, staining, cracks, or damage.
✓ Alignment
Working ends meet and function correctly where applicable.
✓ Hinges
Movement is smooth and appropriate.
✓ Ratchets and locks
Function correctly where applicable.
✓ Cutting edges
Free from damage and suitable for intended use.
✓ Handles
Secure and free from damage.
✓ Working ends
Not bent, chipped, broken, or otherwise compromised.
If an instrument fails inspection, remove it from service and follow your facility’s repair, maintenance, or replacement procedure.
Proper Instrument Storage
After sterilization, instruments should be stored in a clean and protected environment.
Good storage practices
- Keep sterilized instruments in appropriate packaging.
- Protect instruments from dust and moisture.
- Avoid excessive stacking.
- Protect delicate working ends.
- Store instruments in an organized manner.
- Use appropriate trays or containers.
- Follow your facility’s event-related sterility and storage policies.
Proper organization also makes it easier to identify instruments before a procedure.
Handling Instruments During Transportation
Safe transportation helps prevent damage and contamination.
Recommended
- Use appropriate closed or covered containers.
- Separate contaminated instruments from clean or sterile instruments.
- Prevent instruments from moving excessively inside trays.
- Protect delicate working ends.
- Follow your facility’s infection-control procedures.
Never carry loose sharp instruments unnecessarily.
Common Instrument Care Mistakes
❌ Allowing contamination to dry
Dried organic material can be much harder to remove.
❌ Using unsuitable chemicals
Some chemicals can damage stainless steel, coatings, or instrument finishes.
❌ Leaving instruments wet
Residual moisture can contribute to corrosion and staining.
❌ Overloading cleaning equipment
Overloading can prevent proper contact between the cleaning solution and instrument surfaces.
❌ Ignoring hinges
Debris and residue can accumulate inside moving mechanisms.
❌ Mixing delicate and heavy instruments
Contact can damage precision working ends.
❌ Using household lubricants
Only use products intended and approved for medical/dental instrument applications.
❌ Ignoring damaged instruments
Damaged instruments should be evaluated before being returned to clinical use.