Whip it!

I'm a fan of the whip arm delivery system for handpieces. Recently I was reminded why.

I was working in a dental office interstate. That office had a cart system where the cart was positioned (stuck in place) about half a metre from my right hip.

Every time I wanted to pick up or put away a handpiece I had to look away from the patient, turn my head 90 degrees and then reach downwards and backward with my right hand.

Doing this two hundred times a day gets really, really tedious. Not to mention the unnecessary stress it puts on your neck, eyes and back. It's sort of like the equipment levying a tax on your body every time you need a handpiece.

That's why I'm a fan of the whip arm system.

The handpieces are in front of you within your peripheral vision so you don't have to turn your head or look away from the patient. They are within easy reach so you don't have to turn or extend your arm. Putting a handpiece away is easy — you can almost throw it into place.

From an ergonomic viewpoint the decision to go with whip arm is so simple.

But many dentists don't like it. "It feels strange." is the complaint I hear. Years ago I felt that too when I converted over to whip arm. But, the strange feeling only lasted a month then it felt normal again.

Don't miss out on the benefits of whip arm just because it "feels strange" at the start.