Visiting the dentist for a dental procedure can be a nerve-racking experience, especially if you have not seen the dentist in a long time. One way to feel less anxious about your experience is to understand what types of dental instruments the dentist and her assistant may be using, and what each tool is used for.
Examination Instruments
The dentist will use a small mirror and a dental probe to examine your teeth. The mirror enables her to see all sides of all your teeth. The probe allows her to measure any pockets in your gums, which are the spaces between the healthy gum tissue and each tooth. She will also explore your teeth with either her probe or a dental explorer for pits, cavities and calculus build up.
Instruments to Avoid Causing You Pain
During certain dental procedures, you may need a local anesthetic. This will temporarily numb the nerves in your mouth, cheek, tongue and/or jaw, depending on the area being worked on. Your dentist or dental assistant may use a long cotton swab to apply a numbing gel. The dentist then will use a syringe with a disposable needle attached to inject the anesthetic.
Instruments Used During the Procedure
The procedure you have done will dictate which dental tools will be used. If you need a filling placed, a dental hand piece, commonly called a drill, will be used. It has a dental bur attached to carve out a section of your tooth. The dentist will use an excavating instrument to remove any decay or old fillings and have different types of packing instruments available to place the new filling. She will also use an air and water syringe to rinse and air-dry your tooth periodically. Other procedures will call for different instruments.
Keeping Things Dry
Your salivary glands continuously produce saliva, and when the dentist is working in your mouth, she will need to contain the moisture produced. She will have a variety of cotton rolls, gauze and cotton pellets that may be placed under your tongue or between your teeth and your cheek. You may have a straw-like device placed in your cheek or under your tongue as well; this is called a saliva ejector, and it removes saliva as it is produced. The dental assistant may hold a plastic or metal suction device which is larger than the saliva ejector. This will remove not only excess fluid from your mouth but also any pieces of filling or tooth that are removed as the dentist works.
Personal Protection Devices
Your dentist and dental assistant will employ the use of different personal protection devices to observe universal precaution for every patient. These include latex or vinyl gloves, face masks and a face shield or safety goggles.
