There are many benefits to maintaining good oral hygiene. A good oral hygiene routine at home can be a foundation for good oral health. However, it is important to have professional preventive treatment at the very least twice per year.
Because you don’t know what to expect during a visit, you might be anxious about visiting a dentist. It can be helpful to know the names and functions for some of the standard tools that you will see during a cleaning appointment.
Mirrors
The most important professional tool for dentists and dental hygiene professionals is the dental mirror. It would be difficult to inspect the surfaces of your teeth and the gum tissue behind the mouth without this tool.
To avoid image distortion, mirrors can be made from metal or fiberglass frames. Dental mirrors reflect light from above and help to illuminate the interior of your mouth, which allows the dental hygienists to see more clearly the calculus deposits.
Some mirrors are concave-shaped, which allows for magnification to aid in the identification of small deposits. Most handles are made from stainless steel or a resin material. Some mirrors can be re-used, but others are disposable and lighter for easy manipulation and less wrist fatigue.
Scalers
Scalers are hand-held steel teeth cleaning tools that remove plaque and calculus (tartar). The sharp end is for reaching above the gum line, while the blunt end bends below it to reach below the gum-line.
Dental hygienists typically start with an ultrasonic scaling device, which removes plaque and tartar. Then they use a water spray to cool off the instrument’s tip and rinse their mouth. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), your dentist may not use magnetostrictive ultrasonic scaling devices with patients with cardiac pacemakers. They can interfere with the pacemaker.
Polishers
After your local Rancho Cucamonga dentist has removed any tartar and plaque from your teeth, the next step is to polish each tooth to make it as white as possible. Prophy angles are small rubber cups that attach to an electric polishing device.
These pastes can be used to smoothen uneven areas of the teeth and leave the whole surface clean. This allows healthy gum tissue to be attached to the tooth surface. After ultrasonic and hand scaling, polishing can be completed.
Start with a Rinse
No matter what tools your dentist uses to clean your teeth, professional cleanings will always begin with a preprocedural rinse. This increases the safety of both the patient and the dental hygienist.
You’ll be able identify the scalers and mirrors when you next see the instruments the dental hygienist plans to use. You’ll also know that these tools can clean your teeth and prevent problems such as gingivitis or tooth decay. Ask your dentist for details about these instruments.