10 most common dental instruments dentists always use

Are you scared of visiting the dentist because of the dental instruments they use? Do you think it’s unnatural for you to feel that way? Well, if you think the feeling you have about visiting the dentist is wrong then it’ll surprise you to know that you are not in that alone. Research has shown that several people refuse to visit the dentist just because they have dental anxiety which occurs as a result of the scary-looking dental tools dentist use.

It’s no longer news that anyone can overcome any fear they have with the right information that’s why in today’s blog post, I’ll be telling you about the 10 most common dental instruments that dentists always use.

What are dental instruments? 

Dental instruments refer to all the tools that dental practitioners all over the world use to provide or offer dental treatment. Dentists have a variety of tools that serve different purposes. The tools they have can be used to examine, treat, manipulate, restore, and remove teeth or surrounding oral structures. 

10 most common instruments used by dentists

In this section, I’ll be introducing you to 10 of the most common instruments that dentists often use.

1. Mouth mirror

The mouth mirror doubles as the least scary and one of the most common dental instruments used by dental professionals. The dental mirror helps the dentist take a closer at all the corners of your mouth which helps them in having a better understanding of your oral cavity. Asides from that, the mouth can also be used to move the tongue and other tissues for a better view. 

Scaler

A scaler is a dental instrument that’s used to take care of oral problems like periodontal disease, and plaque or tartar build-up on the teeth. It’s also effective in removing build-ups that get trapped between tiny pockets of the teeth. 

Untreated plaque and tartar build-up can lead to tooth decay that’s why dental professionals will always advise you to brush regularly because it helps in reducing plaque and tartar build-up on the teeth but brushing is never enough to remove all the plaque and tartar. To get everything out, deep cleaning is required and deep cleaning is done using the scaler dental instrument. 

Dental drill

This dental instrument is used to effectively remove tooth decay before cavity filling can be done. Hence, it comes as no surprise that amongst all the dental instruments, the dental drill falls among the most feared dental instrument. 

The instrument has a mechanism that sprays a stream of water while cutting through your teeth. The water helps in preventing the instrument from getting too hot because a hot dental drill can lead to tooth damage. The experience is usually uncomfortable due to the vibration the instrument sends down your tooth and gums. The experience can also be very painful that’s why dentists use a local anaesthetic to block the pain so patients would have to feel them.

Sickle probe

The sickle probe (also known as a dental explorer) is used to identify oral problems like cavities. The sickle probes come in various shapes and sizes. Dentists use this special instrument to scrape away plaque and tartar that build up between the teeth and they can also use the probe to analyze the surface of the teeth for hardness. 

Suction device

Dentists majorly use two types of suction devices. They have the saliva ejector and the suction tool. The saliva ejector has a J-shaped hollow plastic tube and uses a low-level suction. Thanks to the design of the tube, the saliva ejector doesn’t need to be held all the time; it hangs over your lower teeth and helps with removing water and saliva from the perforated end. 

The dentist suction (i.e., the other type of suction device) is a high-level suction tool that can be used for old filling, tartar, and tooth fragments.

Moulds

Before dentists will be able to carry out dental procedures like placing crowns on your teeth, they often require or need impressions of your teeth and they can achieve that using moulds. Moulds are small frames that are filled with liquid and harden with time which results in forming the perfect contour of your teeth.

Dental syringe

The dental syringe is an instrument that’s used to administer local anaesthetic to numb your teeth and gums which makes it easier for dentist to carry out procedures that would have been painful. Asides from injecting anaesthetic, the dental syringe can also be used to dry or rinse the with air and water respectively.

Spoon excavator

They are situations or cases where the material in the tooth cavity is soft and there’s no need for a drill. In such situations, rather than using a dental drill to remove the tooth decay, spoon excavators are used in their stead.

Burnisher

The burnisher is usually used at the end of a procedure to polish and smooth your teeth and sometimes it can also be used to remove scratches. They can also be used after dental restoration to clean up the tooth.

Curette

Curettes are just like scalers because they can be used to remove calculus. Unlike scalers, they are designed to remove it from below the gum line without extra damage to the gingiva.