What is an Amalgam Separator and How do I Change these Traps?
What is an amalgam separator? An amalgam separator is a small piece of dental equipment attached to your main vacuum that separates the dental amalgam from other dental waste to keep the amalgam from ending up in our waterways.
When/ how often am I supposed to change the amalgam separator trap?
To be in compliance, the amalgam separator trap must be changed a minimum of once a year. In a busy practice, traps can be changed to upward of 3 to 4 times a year. Each refill cartridge has a ‘full line’ to let the office know when to change out their trap. Healthcare Supply, being highly concerned with its partners' compliance, offers automatic subscriptions to ensure you receive a new trap annually as a reminder to change it out.
Changing the Amalgam Separator trap of a Solmetex NXT HG5
The Solmetex NXT HG5 is the most commonly seen amalgam separator on the market today. Many dental practices pay a technician to change the amalgam separator traps at least once a year, but you can do it yourself in less than 2 minutes. From experience, I learned that you must leave the vacuum running while changing the trap, otherwise gravity comes into play and the top container empties out all over the floor, walls, and yourself. So, while the vacuum is running, pull the two pins on either side of the trap out towards you. There are two holes for the pins in the base of the unit, so they don’t get misplaced. After pulling the pins, pull the amalgam trap straight down. Nothing at this point is going to happen, there’s no rush so stay calm. Put the filled trap down and clog the two top holes with the plugs given to you in the new trap's package. Replace the trap by placing the new one in position and pushing straight up where the two holes will meet and suction through the separator will continue. Put the two pins back where they came from, which is just precautionary in case the trap was to fall out. Take a picture of the serial number or write it down (you will need this for getting your return label from Solmetex). Then, take the trap and screw on the lid and place it in the large sealable bag. The box with the new trap becomes your shipping box back to the manufacturer. At this point, go online and ask customer service for a shipping label. You will get online results back within a week of when recycled.
Another Opportunity to Save Money!
Aside from changing the amalgam trap yourself, a generic cartridge has been developed, tested, and proven to be a 100% match. Dental Recycling North America (DRNA) has made a high-quality product that cuts doctors’ cost by over 20%. DRNA boasts on their website, “Founded more than 25 years ago, DRNA aims to be the leading direct-to-dentist and dental facility provider of amalgam and other wastes recycling resulting from dental practices. By providing directly to dental professionals, DRNA established itself as the disruptor in this niche market. Partnering with dental associations and insurance providers has established DRNA’s robust and impressive customer base of private sector and prestigious public sector dental clinics across the United States, including the United States Military, leading hospitals, and top dental schools.” Healthcare Supply has partnered with DRNA to save our customers money. We have their recycling traps in stock and ready to ship every day. Click here for purchasing information.
This Isn't Your Only Option
Solmetex and DRNA are popular, but there are other companies selling compliance in the amalgam separator industry. Another option would be PureWay and their ECO II+. This is a much smaller unit, so if your vacuum closet is already too crowded or too small for the Solmetex unit, the ECO II+ is the way to go. PureWay, like the Solmetex NXT HG5, runs up to 10 chairs or you can get a tandem that runs up to 20. PureWay fills us in on how its company competes, by saying, “Why the ECO II+ Amalgam Separator? The ECO II+ Amalgam Separator was engineered to be elegant, effective, and simple. As the leading amalgam separator in Europe after 15 years of popularity there, the ECO II+ has recently taken the American market by storm as well. The ECO II+ is known for its compact, easy-to-use design that is ideal for dental offices requiring amalgam separation.” I have never personally changed a trap on this unit. Normally I tell offices with the ECO II+ to have a dental technician change it out for them. To purchase and/or check out the ECO+ II click here!
Additional information
If you need any help or would like any additional information about amalgam separators or compliance, please do not hesitate to call us @ 800-413-3913 or email andrew@healthcaresupply.com.
DRNA quote taken from https://drna.com/about/
PureWay quote taken from https://www.pureway.com/ecoii-amalgam-separator?hsCtaTracking=e1765141-63a1-4d51-8a14-8bdadb8084fc%7C834d4ed4-a6b1-47e5-9668-b450914f671b
