Lab Duties

Here is a pic of me filling up my acetone bottle, an essential lab duty. The dispensers we use are like those used in nail salons. Note that I am following safety protocols by being in a well ventilated space away from any open flames. Safety first!



We mostly use brushes and wooden sticks to clean the teeth, but I also use acetone in very small quantities to dissolve petrified soil from the enamel and roots. Most teeth are loose, no longer in the bone, so the first step is to figure out which tooth it is and what side of the arcade it is from. This is a notoriously difficult job, and often ends with me throwing my hands up in despair. Once the tooth is cleaned, we examine each tooth under a microscope, and record information like tooth wear or pathology. We have a cranky database that we work with to record data, it frustrates me. Finally we do macro photography for each tooth. We have close to one thousand teeth that will go through this process. I admit I am batty by day's end.



Acetone also comes in handy when looking at small features of a tooth under a microscope. As the acetone evaporates is reveals some features not obvious to the naked eye. A bit of an assist for my aging eyes.



Thought you might be interested in what we do, but as a reminder, no photography is allowed in the lab. You will not see bone pics here.