DENTAL INSTRUMENTS

What Are Dental Instruments?

This document is a helpful guide to the tools dentists use for different procedures. It's designed to help students and dental professionals learn to identify, name, and understand what each of these instruments does.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this guide, you will be able to:

Recognize the common sets of tools used in dentistry.
Identify and name tools found in a kit for fixing teeth (restorative kit).
Identify and name tools found in a kit for gum treatments (periodontology kit).
Identify tools used for artificial teeth (prosthetic kit) and for keeping the mouth dry (moisture control kit).

Main Instrument Kits

The toolkits we'll cover include:

Examination Kit: Tools used for the first look inside your mouth.
Restorative Kit: Tools for fixing cavities and other tooth problems.
Periodontal Kit: Tools specifically for treating gums and bone around teeth.
Prosthetic Kit: Tools for making and fitting artificial teeth or crowns.
Endodontic Kit: Tools used for root canal treatments (treating the inside of a tooth).
Moisture Control Kit: Tools used to keep the treatment area dry during dental work.

Specific Instrument Codes

Some specific tools are identified by numbers like:

00308
1872
3352

Describing Each Instrument

Dental Mouth Mirror

What it does:
- Helps the dentist see areas in your mouth they can't directly look at.
- Shines light into dark parts of your mouth to improve visibility.
- Gently pushes soft tissues (like cheeks or tongue) out of the way to protect them and give the dentist more space.
- Sometimes makes the treatment area appear larger, like a magnifying glass.

Straight Probe

What it does:
- Used to find:
- Cavities (tooth decay).
- Calculus (hardened plaque, also known as tartar).
- Any uneven or faulty grooves on the chewing surfaces of teeth.
- Poorly finished edges of old fillings or dental work.

College Tweezers

What it does:
- Grabs small items, like cotton pellets or small dental materials.
- Places small items into or removes them from the mouth.

KCL Probe (WHO/UNC 15) Double-Ended Probe

What it does:
- A special tool used to measure deep spaces between the gums and teeth. This helps the dentist understand the health of your gums and plan treatments for gum disease.

Excavator

What it does:
- This tool has a spoon-like end specifically designed to scoop out soft, decayed parts of the tooth (dentin) from a prepared cavity.
- It's made by DENSPLY ASH.

Flat Plastic

What it does:
- Carries and places various dental materials (like filling material) into a cavity that's been prepared.
- Helps remove any extra material after a filling or other procedure.

Half Hollenback Carver

What it does:
- Used for artistic shaping and sculpting of new silver fillings (amalgam restorations) to make sure they look and feel like a natural tooth and allow for a proper bite.

Amalgam Plugger

What it does:
- This tool is used to tightly push and condense silver filling material (amalgam) into the prepared cavity. This makes sure the filling is strong, lasts a long time, and fits perfectly.

Pear Burnisher

What it does:
- Used to smooth and polish the surface of newly placed silver (amalgam) or tooth-colored (composite) fillings once they are packed into the cavity.

Millers Forceps

What it does:
- Holds a special paper (articulating paper) in place. This paper helps the dentist check how your upper and lower teeth meet when you bite down (your occlusion), making sure your bite is even.

Tools for Gum Treatment (Periodontal Instruments)

AE Sickle Scaler 311-312

Type: General use scaler for above the gumline.
What it does:
- Removes hard plaque (calculus) and soft plaque from the tooth surfaces above the gumline.

AE Scandette (Universal Curette)

What it does:
- A versatile tool used to remove plaque and hard deposits from tooth surfaces both above and just below the gumline, cleaning teeth thoroughly.

Gracey Site-Specific Curettes

Types: These come in different versions for specific areas:
- AE Gracey Deep Pocket 7-8
- AE Gracey Standard 11-12
- AE Gracey 13-14
What it does:
- Each of these Gracey curettes is specially shaped to clean calculus from particular tooth surfaces and different depths of gum pockets.

AE Explorer 11-12

What it does:
- Used to feel for and find hidden calculus and to explore the root surfaces of teeth. This helps in diagnosing gum disease and other dental problems.

Overview of the Artificial Teeth (Prosthetic) Kit

Tools in This Kit

Wax Knife: Used for shaping and working with wax when making artificial teeth.
Spatula: A flat tool for mixing and placing dental materials.
Carvers: Tools for shaping materials.
- Carver Ash: For general shaping of dental work.
- Le Crone Carver: A more specialized shaping tool.
Bite Gauge Willis: Measures the vertical space between your upper and lower jaws when your mouth is closed, helping ensure artificial teeth fit correctly.

More Details

Kit Name: Dental Prosthetic UG Kit (Green)
Where it's prepared: Guys and St Thomas' Sterile Services Department.
What's inside: Various tools including a small spatula, different carvers, a bite gauge, a wax knife, and it comes in a sterile pouch.

Instruments for Keeping the Mouth Dry (Moisture Control)

Tools in This Kit

Rubber Dam Components:
- Scissors: For cutting the rubber dam material to size.
- Rubber dam frame: A frame to hold the rubber dam stretched around the work area.
- Rubber dam clamps: Small metal clips that secure the rubber sheet tightly around a tooth.
- Rubber dam sheet: The actual thin rubber barrier itself.
- Rubber dam forceps: Special pliers for placing and removing the clamps.
- Rubber dam punch: A tool to make holes in the rubber dam sheet for the teeth to poke through.

Questions and Follow-up

If you have more questions or want to arrange a time to see these instruments, please email:

Joanna Hall-Haynes at joanna.hallhaynes@gstt.nhs.uk