Whether it is removing a tooth, filling a cavity, doing root canal treatment, or simply removing plaque to give your mouth a refreshing feeling, dentists use a whole range of instruments. As a person who needs dental care, these tools are intimidating. But, if you are looking forward to building a career in dentistry these tools must seem fascinating to you. Having an overview of the tools used by dentists is a good way to control anxiety levels when you need to visit a dentist. But, it is imperative for you to know about dental instruments if you are looking forward to joining a dentistry course. This beginners’ guide to dental instruments will give you a peek into important dental instruments and increase your fascination with a course in dentistry.
What is an Instrument in Dentistry?
Dental instruments, in simplest terms, are tools used by dental professionals to provide dental care and dental treatment. These tools are meant for various purposes including examination, manipulation, treatment, restoration, and removal of teeth, etc. In other words, instruments in dentistry are the tools used for the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of oral diseases. There are varieties of dental instruments, each designed for a specific purpose.
Based on their uses in dentistry, dental instruments can be broadly classified into the following categories.
- Assessment Tools – Dental instruments used by dentists for the general assessment of the oral cavity and teeth before diagnosis or any treatment.
- Restorative Procedure Tools – Dental instruments used for all the restorative procedures of the teeth.
- Periodontal Procedure Tools – Dental instruments used for the treatment of the tissues surrounding the teeth.
- Endodontic Procedure Tools – Dental instruments used for endodontic procedures i.e. procedures concerning the diseases of the pulp.
- Orthodontic Procedure Tools – Dental instruments used in the procedure of alignment of teeth.
- Surgical Procedure Tools – Dental instruments used for cutting, removing, or retracting gums and dental muscles as well as for removing diseased bones and teeth roots.
What is the Most Important Dental Instrument?
Each dental instrument has its own function and thus each become important as per the requirement. The tool required for assessment may not be useful in the surgical process but at the time of assessment, it is the most important tool. So here we are providing a list of the most commonly used dental instruments that are all necessary for the procedures they are needed.
- Mouth Mirror – This is one of the least scary tools in the arsenal of every dentist. This is essentially a tiny mirror attached to a metal stick. Dentists use them to see the places of the mouth that cannot be easily seen otherwise. This is used in the assessment of teeth.
- Sickle Probe – The sickle probe aka dental explorer is a dentistry instrument with a long handle and sharp hook. These are used to explore the areas between teeth to find cavities or any signs of periodontal diseases. It is also used for scraping tartar and plaque.
- Scalar – A scalar is a dentistry tool meant specifically for removing plaque buildup. Dentists use this tool to scrape off harmful plaque built up on teeth. A sickle probe can be used for minor scraping but a major plaque built-up is removed only by a scalar.
- Saliva Ejector – This is a tiny vacuum cleaner-type tool that is meant for sucking saliva or water from the mouth as dentists need a dry area to work efficiently. Whenever the patient’s mouth gets filled with saliva, dentists use a saliva ejector or a suction device to dry the mouth.
- Dental Drill – A dental drill is one of the scariest dentistry tools. It is just like a drill but made to the proportion of the mouth and teeth. Dentists use the drill to dig away the decaying tooth before filling it. A striking feature of a dental drill is that the tool is equipped with a water-shooting mechanism to keep the machine and mouth cool otherwise the drill will get hot enough to damage the tooth.
- Dental Syringe – It is again one of the most important tools dentists have. The needle of a dental syringe is longer than the normal syringe. This is used for administering anesthesia before any painful procedures.
- Dental Tweezers – This is simply a holding tool that helps the dentist hold anything like burs, cotton balls for absorbing blood or saliva, etc. a pair of dental tweezers is used.
- Mold – It is essentially a frame filled with soft substances. When a dentist wants to make a dental cap or a crown this mold helps to take the shape and size of the person’s teeth.
What Instruments are used in RCT?
RCT stands for Root Canal Treatment. This procedure of treatment is used when a dental x-ray confirms that bacterial infection has damaged the pulp. The RCT procedure is done to repair and save the badly damaged tooth due to bacterial infection rather than removing the teeth completely. The procedure is named ‘root canal’ as it involves cleaning the canals inside the root of a tooth. It is a complex procedure that requires many dental instruments.
- Endodontic Burs – The burs are used by dentists to open the inside of the tooth so that the canals of the root can be reached. Carbide dental burs & Diamond dental burs are commonly used.
- Root Canal Explorer – The explorer is used to explore inside the canal. It is used to find orifices or cavities. Sometimes it may be used to remove a small amount of calcification found in the way.
- Excavator – The excavators are used to excavate the inside of the tooth and remove small tissues from the inside.
- Barbed Broach – This tool is used to remove a majority of tissues from inside the tooth being treated.
- Files and Reamers – These multi-sized tools are used in ascending order to open and widen the canals so that appropriate tools can be inserted.
- Gates-Glidden Drills – These are used to drill and further clear the ways. They can also be used to clear gutta percha i.e. putty-like material used to fill teeth.
List of Equipment required for a Dental Clinic?
Someone wanting to open a dental clinic needs to have all of the above-mentioned tools and some more too. A dental clinic is a place that has a huge list of required equipment. And when we say equipment we do not only mean the dentistry tools but also the larger equipment that makes the important part of a dental clinic. Though we have already talked about a lot of dentistry tools in the write-up above, let us have a quick recap with a few additional names you will be needing for your dental clinic.
- Basic Instruments
- Dental Mirror
- Scanning Probes
- Pliers
- Forceps
- Rotatory Instruments
- Turbines
- Micromotors
- Handpieces (Straight, Contra-angle)
- Light Curing Dental Lamps
- Large Appliances and Machinery
- Autoclaves
- X-Rays Machine
- Clinic Furniture
- Cabinet Lamps
- Dental Stool
- Dental Chair with Dental Unit
- Consumables
- Cotton
- Dental Composites
- Latex Gloves
- Dental Burs
- Dental Sutures
- Orthodontics
- Endodontic Instruments
A dental clinic requires lots of pre-planning and every-minute detailing before anything else. One needs to be very patient while creating the list of required items and be very careful in choosing the right supplier for all their needs.
