Module 9—Technique Essentials: Movement and Orientation to Tooth Surface

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to psychomotor skills, instrumentation techniques, and motion activation for periodontal instrumentation, based on lecture notes.

Instrumentation

A fine motor (psychomotor) skill involving small movements, requiring complex movements and repeated practice where the brain, nervous system, and muscles work together.

Observing (Psychomotor Skill Development)

Mental attention to the steps of a psychomotor skill, typically learned during preclinical instrumentation sessions.

Imitating (Psychomotor Skill Development)

Attempted copying of a psychomotor skill, where the learner attempts each step following instructions; movements are not smooth or automatic yet, and feedback is received.

Practicing (Psychomotor Skill Development)

Attempting a psychomotor skill over and over, performing the entire sequence repeatedly until movements become smoother.

Adapting (Psychomotor Skill Development)

Fine-tuning of psychomotor skills, involving minor adjustments to perfect the skill, often with mentor feedback.

Muscle memory

Frequently enacted muscle tasks that are stored in the brain; with practice, movements become smoother, and myelination occurs.

Myelination

The process of forming a myelin sheath around a nerve to allow nerve impulses to move more quickly.

Automaticity

The ability to perform a psychomotor skill smoothly, easily, and without frustration, achieved through repeated and improved practice of fine motor skills.

Motion activation

The muscle action used to move the working-end of an instrument across a tooth surface.

Wrist-rocking motion

A type of motion activation where the hand, wrist, and arm work as a unit to produce a rotating motion to move the working-end of an instrument, typically used for calculus removal with hand-activated instruments.

Digital motion activation

Moving the instrument by flexing the thumb, index, and middle fingers, primarily used with ultrasonic instruments or in restricted areas where physical strength is not required.

Rolling the instrument handle

Turning the handle between the thumb and index finger to maintain precise contact of the working-end to the tooth surface as it moves around the tooth.

Drive finger

Either the index finger or the thumb, which determines the direction in which the working-end turns when rolling the instrument handle.

Pivoting

A slight swinging motion of the hand and arm carried out by balancing on the fulcrum finger, used to reposition the hand and assist in maintaining adaptation as the working-end moves around the tooth.