subject: Becoming Familiar With Dental Equipment [print this page] Along with the explorer, a mouth mirror is the most widely used instrument by dentists and hygienists. A mouth mirror enables the doctor and hygienist to see all sides of the teeth and all areas of the mouth.
An explorer is the instrument that a dentist and hygienist use on probably every patient. An explorer is not used to poke your gums.
The doctor and hygienist use an explorer to feel your teeth, to see if there are any sticky spots that could be decay and to check to see if fillings are leaking. They also use this to count teeth and check the margins of crowns.
The tool that looks like tweezers are - in dentistry - called cotton pliers. They look like tweezers and function the same way.
Cotton pliers are also very useful to pick up small items and remove small items from the mouth. They are also used to avoid contamination.
A bit block is sometimes used to have the patient bite on to keep their mouth open. During a long procedure, a bite block helps the patient to keep their mouth open.
Bite blocks come in different sizes for children and adults. A doctor uses an excavator to remove decay from the teeth.
An excavator is also known as a spoon excavator because the tiny ends resemble spoons and enable the dentist to "spoon" out the decay. Root canal files are small instruments that increase in diameter and fit down into the canals of the tooth.
After the doctor or root canal specialist removes all of the decay and bacteria, he or she will use root canal files to clean out the canals (roots) of the teeth. Root canal files are small instruments that increase in diameter and fit down into the canals enabling the dentist to remove the pulp of the tooth.
Amalgam filling material is placed into an amalgam well after it is mixed. The dentist would then use an amalgam carrier to scoop out the material and place it into the tooth.
The double ended amalgam carrier instrument is especially useful for large fillings, so that the doctor can flip it to the other end for the application of additional amalgam. The dentist or assistant "scoops" up the amalgam (silver filling material) and places into the opening of the tooth.
A condenser, also known as a plugger, is used to press the silver filling into place. A carver is used to make an amalgam shaped like the actual tooth.
A matrix band is used to separate the teeth while a white / dentil colored filling is placed. If the cavity is in between the teeth, the doctor will place this clear plastic matrix band between the teeth to keep the material from bonding onto the other tooth.
A wooden wedge is used to slightly pry the teeth apart if a cavity is in between two teeth, enabling the doctor to fill the tooth easier. The wooden wedge is usually used in conjunction with a matrix band.
Different sizes of wedges used for different types and sizes of fillings. A curing light is used to harden the material used for white / dentil colored fillings and also the material used for sealants.
When applying a sealant, it is in liquid form, this light makes the liquid harden into a shell like substance. White /dentil colored filling material is soft when placed into the tooth and this light must be used to harden the filling material.
A periodontal probe is used by a dentist or hygienist to measure the depths of a space between the tooth and gum. If the space is very deep, gum disease would be a concern and a deep cleaning called Root Planning or a consultation with a gum disease specialist would be the next step.
A scaler is most often used during a dental cleaning to remove tartar, also known as calculus. A spatula is used to mix up dental materials and is not used in your mouth.
