Hurricane Helene Support and Boil Water Advisory Guidance
Has your practice been affected by Hurricane Helene?
Damage from the hurricane and subsequent flooding has wreaked havoc on thousands of dental offices along its path. The safety of water in every dental office is our top priority, and as you resume normal operations the importance of maintaining safe water is critical for both your staff and patients.
In response, we are offering a complimentary waterline emergency package to affected practices*. This package includes Sterisil®15-minute in-office waterline tests, and shock tablets (FASTCheck15 and Citrisil) so your office can quickly manage the safety of dental unit water and waterlines as you resume operations.
Additionally, many areas are currently under a boil water advisory; this is issued when there is a possibility that the public water supply has been contaminated. Please see further below for important information on what to do right away.
If your practice is experiencing disaster-related issues including other critical systems, such as vacuums or amalgam separators, please contact us for support.
Disaster Assistance Program Resources:
- Contact Customer Service: 1-800-216-5505 (recommended) or via chat at solmetex.com
- Request Form to directly request complimentary waterline emergency package* (test + shock): http://solmetex.co/disaster-assistance.
Check the “Does my practice qualify?” FAQ at the bottom of this page.
Boil Water Advisory Guidance
For offices experiencing a boil-water advisory or boil-water order, we recommend the following actions:
Bottle Fill Office – Straws or Citrisil
Fill the dental bottles with purchased bottled or distilled water. If an office is using Sterisil Distilled Straws (S365 or S90), use purchased distilled water in their bottles.
Do not fill the bottles with municipal/tap water. Sterisil also recommends that the office not use municipal/tap water that has been filtered in the office as there is no guarantee the filtration system successfully removed all potentially harmful pathogens.
Proceed to use Sterisil Straws or Citrisil maintenance tablets according to their normal Instructions for Use.
Bottle Fill Office – Sterisil G4, G5, or AC+ System
If an office normally uses a Sterisil G4, G5, or AC+ System to fill their bottles, the office should immediately shut off the source water to the system. Use purchased bottled or distilled water in the bottles. Immediately contact a dealer to purchase Citrisil tablets to treat the water in the dental bottles until the boil-water advisory/order is removed.
After the advisory/order is removed, Sterisil recommends replacing the pre-filter (if purchased) prior to re-opening the source water to the system.
Direct Feed Office – Sterisil G4, G5, or AC+ System
Immediately shut off the source water to the system upon notice of the advisory/order. The RO and Dental tanks should be able to supply dental water for several days. Do not use the system water for instrument washer or any other water use than for dental water in delivery units. Use distilled bottled water for washers or other equipment wherever possible to help reduce the amount of dental water needed.
Gradually reduced flow rate/pressure will indicate that the tanks are beginning to become depleted.
Direct Feed Office – Cartridges
Immediately shut off the source water to the dental chairs. Do not use direct feed water.
Once the advisory/order is removed replace all cartridges prior to use.
Note: Sterisil does not claim that Sterisil products will satisfactorily treat municipal water under a boil-water advisory or boil-water order.
Waterline testing is a vital step and is included in CDC and ADS (formerly OSAP) guidelines for dental unit waterline infection control. We continue to recommend that practices test waterlines regularly.
Additional guidance from ADS (formerly OSAP) can be found here: ADS webpage | View Pdf
Return to Work Instructions after Prolonged Shutdown: ADS webpage | View PDF
*FAQ’s - Frequently Asked Questions
Does my practice qualify for the Disaster assistance program?
Solmetex is committed to supporting practices in affected regions. To determine who qualifies, we’ve consulted hurricane damage maps to determine the zip codes that were affected. Dental practices in those zip codes will qualify for this program. If you are in an affected area but your zipcode is not included, please let us know by contacting customer support or your Solmetex rep. Assistance recipients do not need to be existing Solmetex/Sterisil customers to be eligible.
How do I request the complimentary waterline emergency package?
This Disaster Assistance Program is only available via the direct-to-customer form provided by Solmetex. Please use the form on the page above to request. If you are not able to access the form, please call our customer service line and they will enter in the request for you.
How will this be shipped to me?
Solmetex will ship complimentary products directly and are separate from any other invoiced products. These can only be ordered through the form and not through dealers or through the online shop on Solmetex.com. We typically ship through UPS.
I’m not ready yet! When does this program expire?
We understand that for many practices, there may need to be significant cleanup and repair before waterlines are ready for decontamination or testing. We will continue to run this program until allotted supplies are depleted.
Other systems in my practice are affected (vacuum, amalgam separation)
If your practice is experiencing disaster-related issues including other critical systems, such as vacuums or amalgam separators, please contact us for support 1-800-216-5505 (recommended) or via chat at solmetex.com.