A dentist’s cabin can be a place of wonder as well as terror. The revolving chair and the solid, shiny instruments are defining features for the trust between doctor and patients.
A good doctor goes to great lengths to deliver top-quality dental services. For this, good quality dental equipment becomes a necessity. The best way for a doctor to choose their equipment is by looking at the market’s most trusted brands, by trusting their colleagues’ experiences. Nowadays, the W&H handpiece holds a high reputation for its useful equipment, durability, and efficient service.
The article gives information about some of the dental instruments found in a dental clinic.
What are dental instruments?
Dental instruments are specialized tools used by the dentist to perform various dental treatment techniques.
How are they classified?
Dental instruments are classified into three based on their use in dentistry. They are general instruments, extraction instruments, and reconstruction instruments.
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General Instruments
General instruments are used by general dentists as well as specialized dental practitioners like dental surgeons and orthodontists.
- Explorer- It is a piece of sharp-ended equipment used by the dentist to examine the teeth for cavities and find soft spots in gums. Nowadays, many dentists prefer a dental probe to an explorer.
- Periodontal Probe- A periodontal probe is similar to an explorer in shape. The only difference is its blunt end. It is used to examine pocket depths around a tooth. A dentist usually takes six measurements per tooth, three each on the inside and outside. The measurement is taken in millimetres and indicates the depth of tooth pockets. If the depth of the tooth pocket is below 3, the gums and teeth are considered healthy. If the number is higher than that, then the dentist may recommend treatments for it.
- Scalar- A dental scaler is used to scrape tartar or calculus from teeth. It is also used to scrape off excess amalgam that sticks to the teeth after teeth filling.
- Air or water tip- It is an instrument that can be attached to a valve to spray water or air into the mouth. Water tips are used to squirt water into the patient’s mouth during dental cleaning.
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Extraction Equipment
Dentists use extraction tools to extract decayed teeth, milk teeth of children, and also premolars of patients wanting orthodontic treatments like braces.
- Forceps- It is usually used to extract teeth from the socket. The tool grasps the teeth firmly so that they can be moved back and forth and loosened from their roots.
- Elevator– There are many kinds of elevators used for tooth extractions. All elevators consist of three parts called blade, shank, and handle. Doctors use different types of elevators for teeth removal, depending on whether the teeth are broken or not. Some of the most common elevators in use are apexo elevator, periosteal elevator, Cryer’s elevator, etc.
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Reconstruction Equipment
Reconstruction equipment, as the name suggests, is used for the reconstruction of teeth. Teeth reconstruction is done in various ways, like crowning, cavity filling, and root removal.
- Dental Handpiece- A dentist uses a handpiece or a drill out the decayed part of teeth. W&H handpiece is one of the most popular choices of many dentists worldwide.
- Plugger- A plugger ensures that there aren’t any air pockets in the filling by ensuring that the amalgam gets properly set. Software development Ukraine with Echo.
- Carver- After inserting the amalgam and setting it, it is essential to make crevices so that the upper and lower teeth of the patient fit together. A dentist uses the carver to make crevices on teeth.