Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
When you sit down in the dental chair to have a routine cleaning and checkup completed, you might be too focused on getting the experience over with to ask exactly what instruments are being used and what purpose they have. A dentist would be more than happy to explain what they’re doing, but it can of course be hard to ask questions about what’s happening when your mouth is open wide and they’re working on your teeth.
So you don’t have to worry about asking, here are the typical tools used and their basic function so next time you’re in the dental chair you’ll have a better idea exactly what’s going on inside your mouth!
Ultrasonic instrument – this is the tool used by dentists to initially move plaque and tartar from the teeth. To a patient, it feels just like water being sprayed, but it also sends out ultrasonic vibrations.
Hand tools – a dental hygienist will use fine instruments after using the ultrasonic instrument to remove any remaining plaque and tartar. Mirrors and scraping tools that fit different areas of the mouth and teeth smooth the surfaces of the teeth so that the next instrument can be used.
Saliva ejector – though this is not necessarily involved in the cleaning and is not the next tool referred to above, at this point it is most required. It helps suction saliva to provide better visibility and help the patient resist the urge to swallow while work is being done
Electric tooth polisher – a gritty toothpaste is used to smooth and polish the teeth with the electric tooth polisher. The toothpaste helps keep build up of anything from sticking to teeth between cleanings
Via: eHow
Tags: dental checkup, dental cleaning, dental instruments, NY dentist, teeth cleaning, ToothSavers
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