Apparatus and Method for Removing Amalgam and Waste Particles From Dental Office Suction Effluent

An apparatus for collecting amalgam from dental office suction effluent, the apparatus comprising:

• an upper chamber having a top, a hollow central portion, and a bottom, the top and bottom closing off the hollow central portion to define an upper chamber interior volume;
• an inlet provided in the top of the upper chamber for receiving dental office suction effluent from at least one dental suction wand in fluid communication with the inlet;
• a gas conduit within the upper chamber interior volume, the gas conduit having an upper opening that defines an exit port;
• an outlet extending from the upper chamber for establishing a connection to an outlet line in fluid communication with a vacuum pump, wherein a lower end of the gas conduit is in fluid communication with the outlet;
• a solids collection canister removably secured to the bottom of the upper chamber, the solids collection canister including a top portion and a bottom portion which together define a solids collection canister interior volume, the top portion of the solids collection canister being provided with a first opening and a second opening, the first opening communicating with a drain provided in the bottom of the upper chamber, the second opening communicating with the outlet;
• and a flow restrictor disposed in the solids collection canister interior volume, the flow restrictor allowing liquids and gases of dental office suction effluent passing from the upper chamber into the solids container through the drain to exit the solids collection canister through the second opening as amalgam in the dental office suction effluent that enters the solid collection canister through the drain is collected and retained in an interior volume of the solids collection canister.