Instruments Used by a Dental Hygienist
Dentists and dental hygienists use a number of instruments to examine and clean your teeth. While some of the tools, such as the dental mirror and scaler, are available for home use, others, such as the X-ray, are available only when you visit your dentist. Of course, it is better to rely on a skilled professional to properly use these instruments than to attempt any procedures yourself.
Scaler
A dental hygienist uses a scaler to scrape your teeth and remove tarter, a buildup of hardened plaque that is also called calculus. Tarter that has formed below the gum line is removed with a similar instrument called a curette. Both often feature sharpened tips and blades in order to fit into the tight crevices of the teeth. Though personal-use versions of the scaler exist, they are often softer to prevent the user from damaging their own enamel.
Explorer
The dental explorer is a sharp, hooked instrument used to probe teeth to find small areas of decay in the enamel. The tip of the explorer is sharpened in order for the hygienist to feel the decay that is otherwise too small to see from a visual inspection or on an X-ray image. According to Dr. James Hamilton, there is some controversy around the use of the explorer. If a hygienist probes a small area of decay on the enamel too roughly, he or she risks deepening the cavity and worsening a problem that may have been cured with a simple fluoride treatment.
Dental Mirror
To spot visible decay on hard-to-see areas of the teeth, your hygienist will use a small dental mirror. Though perhaps the easiest tool for home detection of cavities, a mirror used by hygienists differs in the material it is made of. Because dental mirrors will be used in many different mouths, it is necessary to sterilize it before each patient. A hygienist uses a machine called an autoclave that sterilizes the instrument with hot steam. Because plastic mirrors would not survive the heat, a hygienist is required to use a metal mirror.
X-ray
X-rays are used to find tooth decay that may not be seen from visible inspection, either due to being in a concealed area, such as below the gum line or between the teeth, or because the decay is entirely within the tooth. Dr. Martin Spiller asserts that X-rays are a vital part of dental examinations, as cavities invisible to the eye will continue to worsen and cause more expensive and painful problems later. He also calms patients' fears of radiation exposure, explaining that "it would take 20 full series of xrays to equal the amount of radiation the average citizen picks up from background sources each year."
Suction
Hygienists use two types of suction devices: a slow-speed suction and a high-speed suction. The former is used to remove saliva from the mouth, as several procedures, such as composite tooth fillings, need to be kept dry to seal properly. When drilling a tooth, the friction between the drill bit at the patient's tooth will produce heat that can cause damage, so a water jet is used to keep the tooth cool. The high-speed suction is used to remove this excess water.
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