A theory why some ligs behave badly!

Message

#1 Post by **missingu** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 12:48 pm

I don't know the term "stalk" but are you saying the orthos re-use ligs, or sterilize them if the package they came in has already been opened but the actual lig has not been used.

It's one thing to sterilize the ligs if a package has been opened, but I'm not particularly keen on re-using ligs.

#2 Post by **jaswi** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 2:22 pm

okay, no expert here, but I think the stalk they are referring to is how ligs come all attached together(from how they are made) on a little stalk, kind of like grapes. And they are talking about them steralizing the unused ones still on the stalk before using them.

#3 Post by **Idislikebraces** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 2:38 pm

Wtf? I believe what is trying to be said is wat the person above me said about sterilizing the UNUSED ONES! lol They would not reuse the ones that were already on someones teeth! They stretch...nd thats just nasty!

#4 Post by **missingu** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 3:13 pm

Like orthos don't reuse brackets...get real, they do.

See the following web page:

www.orthocycle.com/ortho-reuse/ortho-reuse.htm

or just google "reuse orthodontic brackets" and see entry after entry indicating that this is a common practice.

#5 Post by **jcdamon3** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 6:08 pm

That is just ridiculous:

http://jorthod.maneyjournals.org/cgi/co ... l/26/2/135

This article says the brackets cost about $5.00 each. That's $140.00 for a full set of teeth if you even have that many. I can't believe that an ortho would be so cheap as to not want to pay $140.00 for a new set of brackets.

BTW, the article talks about the amount of possible distortion in a used bracket.

#6 Post by **missingu** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:02 pm

For the record, rubber recycling is very common. I was reading about a company in The Netherlands which has been doing it for 5 years and is very environmentally friendly.

Certainly an elastic could not be used intact after it had been in someone's mouth, but there is no reason it could not be melted down and reformed into another rubber band. We recycle tires and other rubber products, after they are melted and reformatted, so why not elastics?

And I disagree that to not reuse a bracket would be irresponsible. If the ortho wants to use reusables, I think the patient should be advised and given the option to pay more for "fresh" brackets that "used."

It wasn't that long ago that doctor's offices reused needles from vaccinations....

#7 Post by **lionfish** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:18 pm

missingu wrote:
It wasn't that long ago that doctor's offices reused needles from vaccinations....

I can remember this because I used to watch my father (who was a doctor) drop used needles into a stainless steel drum kit in which he would boil them up for reuse. This was in the days before disposables so there was no alternative.