What Is Barrier Film?
Barrier film is a type of disposable infection control product that is used to guard against the spread of germs and fluids across high touch surfaces. The plastic film found on a dental barrier film provides a physical barrier that prevents germs and fluids from reaching the surface below it. It is most commonly found in dental and medical offices and is used to protect equipment and other hard to clean areas.
Dental barrier film is a type of self adhesive plastic wrap that can be placed in high touch but hard to clean areas to provide protection from bacteria and other pathogens. Dental barrier film has a protective coating on one side with an adhesive surface so it will stick in place, but can also be removed easily with just without leaving any residue or mess behind.
Dental barrier film can be most commonly found in rolls with perforated sheets to easily tear off and to be used at a moments notice. Barrier films also have a hollow plastic core to hold and distribute the barrier film sheets easily. The most common size of dental barrier film is 4 inches by 6 inches and comes in a roll of 1200 perforated sheets.
What is Barrier Film Made Out of?
Barrier film is made up of a plastic film, similar to plastic wrap used in food service. There are two distinct sides on a barrier film. The outer side is a shiny side where fluids repel off of while the back side includes a low residue adhesive. While barrier film sheets will stick to surfaces, the low residue adhesive will not leave lasting marks on any surface. In the rare case of some minor adhesive residue, soap and water can remove it, leaving your surface as good as new.
What is Dental Barrier Film Used For?
Dental barrier film has historically been used in dental and medical offices on surfaces that are difficult to clean, disinfect or sterilize. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, other industries have begun using barrier film to keep their workplaces clean and sterile.
As the name suggests, dental barrier film can be most commonly found in dental offices. Within a dental office, there are many high touch surfaces that can be contaminated throughout the day as patients pass through the offices. Dentists will commonly use barrier film sheets on dental lighting, dental tools and dental chairs. These areas are very tough to keep consistently clean throughout the day so dental barrier film is a great way to keep it clean. By throwing and replacing barrier film sheets on these high tough areas after every patient has completed their visit, these areas can be kept clean.
Tattoo Parlors
Tattoo parlors are focused on keeping a clean workplace and to prevent the risk of cross-contamination. Tattoo artists are using barrier film sheets on their high touch areas in their workplace. This includes tattoo chairs, tattoo chairs, tattoo gun handles and ultrasonic tanks.
Food Delivery Drivers
Food delivery drivers are subject to many people and many environments. To prevent cross contamination, many drivers are using dental barrier film on the high touch surfaces within their cars. This includes car infotainment systems, climate control buttons and even door handles. By using dental barrier firm on these surfaces, drivers can prevent the transmissions of germs.
What Size Does Dental Barrier Film Come In?
The most common size dental barrier film comes in is 4 inches by 6 inches. This compact size is the industry standard and provides the flexibility of using these sheets in hard to reach and hard to clean areas. Most dental barrier film comes in rolls where these film sheets are already perforated for easy use.
Note: Dental barrier film sheets can come in other sizes however the 4 inches by 6 inches sheets are by far the most common size.
How To Use Dental Barrier Film?
- Open the dental barrier film box.
- See if the box comes with a roll where the barrier film can be attached to.
- Look for an opening in the dental barrier film box.
- Open the dental barrier film to release the sheet from the roll.
- Take the barrier film sheets and put it through the opening in the dental barrier film box
- Close the box and pull your dental barrier film sheets through the box opening. The perforated sheets should release from the roll and another barrier film sheet should come through the opening. This allows for easy access to dental barrier film at a moment’s notice.
Does Barrier Film Leave a Residue?
Dental barrier film should not leave a residue. The low tack adhesive found on dental barrier film is designed to provide enough adhesiveness to stick to a surface but not sticky enough to leave any residue after removing the dental barrier film sheets. If you find that your dental barrier film sheets are hard to remove or leaving a significant amount of adhesive on your surface after removal, we recommend that you look for an alternative barrier film that will not damage your surfaces with unwanted adhesive residue.
It is important to make sure you look for the highest quality barrier film. While it may look great to save a few dollars with cheaper barrier film, there are potential issues including poor adhesive quality. Some of these lower quality barrier film will have adhesive that is too sticky resulting in residue left on surfaces while other barrier film will have adhesive that is not sticky enough leaving sheets that cannot stay on the surfaces. Both of these scenarios can be prevented if you only look for high-quality barrier film.
What Colors Do Dental Barrier Films Come In?
Dental barrier film comes in a variety of colors. The most popular and common colors for dental barrier film are clear/transparent, blue and pink. While there may be other colors available, including black, these are the most popular and most common colors you can find barrier film in.
Where Is Barrier Film Made?
Barrier film is most commonly Made in China.
Does Dental Barrier Film Expire?
Dental barrier film can last several years before the adhesive backing becomes stiff and dry. Ensure that your barrier film is kept in a cool, dry and dark location to maintain the sheet’s adhesive nature.
Where To Buy Dental Barrier Film?
Dental barrier film can be bought from many different places. One of the most popular places to buy dental barrier film is from your local medical or dental supply store. It can also be found by doing an internet search for "dental barrier films" or purchasing it online through from Primo Dental Products.
We were founded by experienced dental professionals looking for affordable, high-quality dental and medical supplies. We work directly with top manufacturers to provide high-quality dental supplies without the brand name markup directly to consumers across the United States. We ship all of our products nationwide via FedEx ground directly from our warehouse in New Jersey.