Dental offices can feel overwhelming to be in. After you arrive and are brought to the room where the dental work will be performed, you may look around at the equipment and instruments. You may think you’re not entirely sure what’s coming.
Even some basic instruments for a dental clinic may seem peculiar and scary. To prepare for your next visit, let’s look at some of those critical instruments. We’ll see what they do, and why you don’t have to be cautious around them.
1. Mouth Mirror
A mouth mirror is a fairly straightforward and common dental clinic instrument, almost sure to be used during your visit. The mirror head is small and round. They come in different sizes, suited to different jobs.
They provide a dentist with the chance to view tooth surfaces that cannot be seen by direct vision, enhancing the accuracy of their work and providing a fuller view of the tooth.
2. Dental Probe
Dental probes are long, thin, and blunt at the end. It is an instrument used to inspect teeth’s overall health. There are different types of probes, typically used to measure and monitor gum health changes.
3. Bite Block
A bite block is usually made of acrylic and wire, attached to the front or back teeth to prevent a patient from completely biting down. This keeps the upper and lower teeth from contacting during dental treatment.
Bite blocks are typically custom-made to fit a patient’s exact mouth profile. They are key to preventing teeth from bending while moving during orthodontic treatment.
4. Saliva Ejector
A saliva ejector can handle excessive moisture created during dental treatment. It is a straw-like, perforated suction tube that suckers moisture from the mouth. It ensures a patient does not swallow or choke on anything during dental work. It is used frequently during tooth extractions and crown preparation and to reduce spatter and spray during treatments.
5. Dental Pliers
Pliers are used in a dental clinic for various reasons, from cutting wires and pins to bending hooks. They are typically used to place and remove cotton, for example.
6. Dental Scaler
A scaler, aka a plaque scraper, removes hardened plaque on our teeth and under our gums. Plaque accumulates if we brush too often or well, and is simply what happens over time. A scaler can take care of plaque and tartar buildup and restore the natural charm of your teeth.
7. Dental Syringe
If you are uncomfortable with needles, a dental syringe may seem intimidating. However, all it is is a way to numb the area where treatment will occur. The instrument itself may look overwhelming. However, the needle itself is very thin. This is a highly effective way to apply a local anesthetic or numbing agent somewhere to avoid pain as you undergo a procedure.
8. Dental Tweezers
Tweezers are usable for several purposes. They can separate tissue, hold tissue, transport small objects in and out of the mouth, and more. Like probes, there are many dental tweezers, from surgical tweezers to ligatures, hemostatics, and more.
9. Dental Drills
Dental drills remove cavities quickly and painlessly. Different burrs and tips exist and can be set on the drill to do other jobs. These jobs include repairing minor chips, eliminating tartar, and smoothing out composite fillings.
10. Dental Forceps
Forceps are used to remove teeth from bony sockets. It has a rounded beak that contours the linguistic roots of the bird. Left and right pairs exist, with pointed tips, to carefully grip, hold, and remove teeth with minimal pain and maximum efficiency.
11. Dental Elevator
Dental elevators are used for extractions. They are used to loosen teeth before using forceps and can remove roots or impacted teeth. If the teeth are compromised, malpositioned, or susceptible to fracture, and reaching them with forceps is impossible, elevators come into play.
12. Dental Chisel
A chisel is meant to cut. It uses push strokes to scrape enamel to cleave or split what’s underneath.
13. Dental Osteotome
Osteotomes are used for cutting or preparing bone. It is similar to a dental chisel, except bevelled on both sides.
14. Dental Turbine
A dental turbine is a rotary instrument that uses air compression through a dental unit hose. It has high speed and low torque and is typically used during treatments that require strong resistance. It can easily remove difficult tissue from teeth, such as enamel or prosthetic material.
