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dental equipment

What Do You Know about the Dental Equipment

An appointment with your dentist is not everyone’s favorite experience! But the reality is a lot less daunting when you consider that your dentist has a whole host of equipment to help him look after you and make your experience as pleasant as possible. What equipment does your dentist use to look after you?

Mouth Mirror
This is fairly self-explanatory and will almost certainly be used during your visit. Your dentist needs to get a good view of the inside of your mouth, including the backs of your teeth. The mirror allows them to see from all angles and help locate any potential problems much more easily.

Dental Syringe
The dental syringe is used to administer local anaesthetic to numb your teeth and gums so your dentist may perform procedures that might otherwise be painful for you. Syringes are also used to rinse or dry your mouth with water and air respectively, which is necessary for certain procedures. Syringes can hurt at first. The good news is, only for a second and the even better news is some of our practices now have pain free sedation, so you don’t even know your tooth is being numbed.

Dental Drill
The sound and the vibrations caused by the drill on your teeth may cause an unusual sensation but this is nothing to worry about. The drill is used to remove any decay attached to the tooth before filling in the cavity, although sometimes it is simply for polishing and smoothing the tooth once operating is complete.

Scaler

Dental hygienists generally use several tools during a dental cleaning, including a tooth polisher and a dental scaler. Tooth polishers buff teeth and eliminate tiny pieces of plaque. They generally have several different sized heads for cleaning hard to reach places. Scalers look a bit like metal hooks and are used to remove hard plaque, especially between teeth. Some people find the use of a scaler uncomfortable, depending on their sensitivity level, pain threshold, the length of time since the last cleaning, and the extent of plaque build-up.

Suction Device
During many procedures saliva and debris can build up in the mouth, which can make things difficult for your dentist. Small hoses are used to remove anything obstructing the mouth, making any job easier for everyone involved.

X-Ray
Sometimes a problem may not be immediately obvious so an x-ray which made by dental x-ray machine will need to be taken to show a more detailed view of the teeth and bones surrounding the affected area. Without an x-ray, problems such as decay can easily be overlooked.

dental equipment

Using Polisher and Scaler to Do Dental Cleaning

Dental hygienists generally use several tools during a dental cleaning, including a tooth polisher and a dental scaler. Tooth polishers buff teeth and eliminate tiny pieces of plaque. They generally have several different sized heads for cleaning hard to reach places. Scalers look a bit like metal hooks and are used to remove hard plaque, especially between teeth. Some people find the use of a scaler uncomfortable, depending on their sensitivity level, pain threshold, the length of time since the last cleaning, and the extent of plaque build-up.

During periodontal surgery, dental air polisher can prepare root surfaces detoxify them effectively and efficiently, and leave a uniformly smooth root surface that is clean and free of diseased tissues. Dentinal tubules are then occluded, which may result in decreased sensitivity. Superior growth and vitality of human gingival fibroblasts was evident when ultrasonic scaling was followed by air polishing, compared to ultrasonic scaling alone. Air polishing produced root surfaces that were comparable to manually rootplaned surfaces, and provided better access to furcations. Tissue healing following air polishing was comparable to that achieved by hand instrumentation in root preparation during periodontal flap surgery.

Use of the air polisher for stain removal involves three steps: patient selection and preparation, clinician preparation, and the actual clinical technique. Air polishing should follow a careful review of the patient’s medical and dental history, and a thorough examination of the oral hard and soft tissues. Indications and contraindications, effects on hard tissues, restorations, safety, and alternative uses should be reviewed prior to treatment planning the use of the air polisher.

Preparation of the patient should include an explanation of the procedure, removal of contact lenses, an anti-microbial rinse, application of a lubricant to the lips, placement of safety glasses or a drape over the nose and eyes, and placement of a plastic or disposable drape over the patient’s clothing. Operators should use universal precautions, including protective apparel, a face shield or safety glasses with side shields, gloves, and a well-fitting mask with high-filtration capabilities.

Future research should continue to explore ways to increase the safety of air polishing, reduce aerosol production, and increase its efficacy in periodontal therapy. Future research should include in vivo studies that directly compare the effects of ?Dental Hand Instruments; air polishers; sonic, ultrasonic, and piezo scalers; and rubber cup polishers on all tooth surfaces. In addition, these studies should attempt to control the variables of quantity of stain, abrasiveness of polishing pastes, and amount of pressure applied to each surface.

dental equipment

What Can You Get From a Dental Cleaning

people who have not had their teeth cleaned in a long while may expect to experience a longer cleaning, and some extra pulling or scraping to remove plaque from teeth. For most people, however, a dental cleaning is more inconvenient than painful.

People usually don’t need pain medication for a dental cleaning. Some patients are made so nervous by dentists that they may ask for nitrous oxide though. Alternately, a patient might take a tranquilizer about an hour before the appointment to help with anxiety. In cases of extreme anxiety, some dentists use a method called sleeping dentistry, where a patient can be medicated and essentially sleep through a procedure.

Dental cleanings often conclude with advice about how to care for teeth at home, and scheduling any appointments needed for more extensive services, like filling cavities. People with busy dentists should schedule their next cleanings well in advance, so as to keep regular six-month cleaning appointments.

Most dental cleanings take between 30 minutes and an hour. If the cleaning is part of a yearly check-up, the dentist may also take X-rays by dental x-ray machine to check for cavities. A dental hygienist usually performs most of the cleaning. The dentist will normally take a last look, and perhaps perform some difficult plaque removal toward the end of the cleaning, as well as evaluate the gums for gum disease.

Dental hygienists generally use several tools during a dental cleaning, including a tooth polisher and a dental scaler. Tooth polishers buff teeth and eliminate tiny pieces of plaque. They generally have several different sized heads for cleaning hard to reach places. Scalers look a bit like metal hooks and are used to remove hard plaque, especially between teeth. Some people find the use of a scaler uncomfortable, depending on their sensitivity level, pain threshold, the length of time since the last cleaning, and the extent of plaque build-up.

Dentists may also employ a device that shoots water into the mouth, so the person can rinse out plaque several times during the cleaning. In some cases, a dentist may merely use mouthwash for this purpose.