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Do you need a refresher course on dental instruments? Here’s an overview of some of the most commonly used dental instruments, as well as some tips to help you remember their names:
Mouth Mirror
This device is used to provide indirect vision, retracts lips, cheeks, and tongue. It can direct light into the mouth. The name is pretty easy to remember because it’s a mirror that goes in the mouth!
Explorers
This device is used to examine teeth for decay, calculus, furcations and other abnormalities. It is difficult to remember the name, but you need to consider how it is used. The explorers are used for examining the mouth and finding any problems.
Cotton Forceps
This instrument is used to transfer materials in or out of the oral cavity. It’s most commonly used to grip cotton, but can be used in other ways. The latin root for “-cept” means to grab or take hold of something, which can help you identify the name when you see it.
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Periodontal Probe
This instrument is used to measure periodontal pocket depth in millimeter increments. The Greek root for “peri-” means that something is related to bone or the tissue around a tooth, so that can remind you that it’s a tool for evaluating the state of the mouth in that area.
Ultrasonic Scaler
This device is used to remove tartar from teeth. The Latin root for “ultra-” means that something is extreme or greater than, and “-sonic” is the root meaning for “sound”, so the ultrasonic scaler is a tartar removal tool that creates vibrations that reverberate outside the audible range of hearing for humans.
Extracting Forceps
This instrument is used for the removal of teeth. We know that forceps are for grabbing things from the cotton forceps, so the most important thing to remember that the “ex-” in “extract” comes from the latin word which means “to dig or pull out”.
Dental Elevator
This tool is used to assist with tooth extractions. This tool’s name is simple to remember. Dental To prevent injury to the surrounding areas of the mouth, elevators are used to lift the teeth in the sockets.
Air Water Syringe
This instrument allows the dental assistant to inject air or water into the oral cavity. Most people are familiar with this instrument because they regularly visit the dentist. Air and water are what come out of it, and it’s called a syringe because of the way it injects the water or air.
Saliva Ejector
This instrument is used to remove excess saliva or water from the oral cavity during dental procedures. This tool is something most people have seen at their dentist. This device is used to remove or suck out saliva from the mouth while a patient is being treated.
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