Dental Instruments Explained: What Tools Do Dentists Use?

You’re sitting in your dentist’s chair, ready to have your teeth examined, and you glance over at a tray of tools. Terrifying, right?

This tray of shiny metal objects may look scary, but these are the tools a dentist needs in order to properly examine and clean your teeth as well as carry out other dental procedures. Here are the common tools found at a dentist’s office:

 

Mouth Mirrors

The mouth mirror is the tiny mirror attached to a long handle. Mouth mirrors serve two purposes: they allow the dentist to see hard-to-reach places in the mouth in order to see if there is tooth decay or any other causes for alarm, and they also help the dentist move of the tongue or cheek into a position that will allow them the best vantage point of your teeth, gums and cheeks.

Dental Probes

A dental probes is an instrument that is used to examine your  gum pockets. The measuring device on the probe helps the dentist determine if you may have periodontal disease. These probes are often also used to find holes in the tooth enamel, or to remove tartar and plaque.

Scalers and curettes

Scalers are likely one of the most hated dental instruments. These hand-held, sharp tools are very effective for scraping tartar and plaque. They are curved to mimic the shape of a tooth so that they can access between the teeth and behind the back teeth to remove even minuscule tartar deposits. Many people dread the scaler because of the feeling and sound associated with its use, but it is one of the most important tools in a dentist’s office.

Saliva ejectors

Saliva can get in the way of a dentist’s work, so sometimes they use saliva ejectors to dry out the mouth in order to make it easier to carry out procedures. A saliva ejectors is a small, vacuum-like tool that can easily be inserted into a mouth in order to suck away excess saliva.

 

There are many other tools that a dentist uses, but these four are some of the most common that you will see on all dental visits. More advanced tools are used for tooth extraction, X-Rays, tooth restoration and other more complex procedures. Do you have questions about dentist’s tools or the dentist office experience at DentaLux? Contact us today!