A dental assistant has gone viral on TikTok for sharing the terrifying truth about this everyday suction tool. In the clip, which has amassed 369,200 views, Gina (@embodying.gina) began by holding up a blue and white stick. She explained that this stick is a dental tool called a slow-speed suction or saliva ejector. “If you close down on this, and it doesn’t have something [points to a flat blue lid] on the back, you are sucking the saliva of all the patients before you,” she said.
Gina then went on to add that this blue lid is called a backflow protector. She noted that a lot of dental offices allegedly use saliva ejectors without one. “So, if you’re looking at the suction, next time you’re with the hygienist and the dentist and you don’t see this, or if you ask them, and they say that the saliva ejector does not have a backflow protector on it, do not close on that sh*t,” she said. “My friends, don’t do it.”
Furthermore, Gina added that there are other ways to get all the saliva out of your mouth. “Your hygienist or your dental assistant should be skilled enough to angle this in certain places of the mouth to remove all the saliva for you if they don’t have a backflow protector,” she said.
She also highlighted the “disgusting but true” reality that some dental offices won’t clean their suction lines between patients. “So, the suction line is not always being cleaned,” she said. “If you close your lips around this, there’s no backflow protector, who knows? Just who the f*ck knows? Guys, do you really want to take your chances? Just don’t do it.”
Gina didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment and direct message.
@embodying.gina do not close on that sh!t!! 👎🏻🙅🏻♀️ #healthcare #psa ♬ original sound – gina🌿✨
What did the commenters say?
Unsurprisingly, commenters were horrified by this admission, with many questioning whether this practice was even allowed. “How is this legal?” one asked, while another similarly queried, “How’s that even ethical? They should all have back flow protectors then for health code!” Meanwhile, an incredulous third commenter added, “But they tell us to close!”
In a further comment, Gina added that “it’s not a requirement to have one because it’s not something that should be happening in the first place.”
However, while it shouldn’t be happening, the numbers suggest it’s an all-too-common occurrence at the dentist. One study shows that backflow occurs for 20-25 percent of patients, while another shows that this backflow increases the risk of cross-contamination.
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