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Dental Office Tools

A dental office features a wide array of tools used in the diagnosis and treatment of tooth and gum problems. Although dental assistants and registered dental hygienists legally can use some tools, only a licensed dentist can use all. Different tools are designed to be used in specific procedures or types of treatment; they must be used carefully and properly.

  1. Basic Setup Instruments

    • The mouth mirror, the explorer and cotton pliers are some of the most common instruments used in a dental office. A mouth mirror allows a dentist to see inside a patient's mouth at various angles. An explorer lets a dentist identify problems with crowns, bridges, cavities and calculus, which is the hard version of plaque, the sticky, white substance that can cover teeth after a person eats.

    Restorative Instruments

    • Dentists use excavators, hoes and chisels to remove decayed tooth structure and smooth cavity walls. Dentists or dental assistants place silver fillings using tools such as amalgam carriers and condensers, and they use a composite placement instrument to add tooth-colored fillings to teeth. They smooth silver fillings with a burnisher and contour tooth surfaces with carvers. Dentists use high-speed handpieces and burs to remove old restorations or section teeth during surgery. They use low-speed handpieces to remove soft decay and remove stains from teeth.

    Other Instruments

    • A dental hygienist or dental assistant typically uses a saliva ejector to remove excess fluids from a patient's mouth during minor procedures, such as cleanings and fluoride applications. When a dentist performs procedures such as drilling a tooth in preparation for a filling, a dental assistant uses a high-volume evacuator to maintain a clear field in which the dentist can work.

      Other dental office tools include syringes and disposable needles used to numb the area of the mouth in which a dentist will work. Dentists also use a device called a rubber dam, which isolates the tooth to be treated, to help them see better and to protect the airway of the patient.

    Radiographic Equipment

    • An X-ray machine allows dental assistants and dental hygienists to take X-rays of patients' teeth; dentists use these images to diagnose tooth problems. These dental health-care professionals use film and film holders to capture the radiograph; a processor in a darkroom is used to develop traditional film. Dental offices have lead aprons that staff place on patients during X-ray procedures, to protect patients from unnecessary radiation exposure.

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