Whip it!

I’m a huge 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° and then reach downwards and backward with my right arm.

Doing this two hundred times a day gets really, really tedious. Not to mention the stress it put on my neck, eyes and back. It’s like the equipment was levying a tax on my body every time I needed to pick up or put away a handpiece. Maybe when you’re 30 your body is happy to pay the tax but by the time you’re 50 your back is starting to complain.

With 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’re within easy reach so you never have to turn your body or extend your arm. Putting a handpiece away is easy. You can just drop it into place without even looking.

That’s why I’m keen on the whip arm system. From an ergonomic viewpoint the decision to go with whip arm is simple.

However, many dentists say that they don’t like the whip arm system. “It feels strange.” is the complaint I hear. It felt strange to me too when I first converted over to the whip arm system twenty years ago. 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” when you first try it. Your back and neck will thank you.