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Stainless Steel Dental Tools

Stainless steel is a metal alloy made from iron, chromium and carbon that can be found in things we use every day, such as silverware, car parts, and jewelry. It is a hard metal that is resistant to rust or corrosion, and can withstand high temperatures. This makes it a practical material choice for surgical instruments, which are often sterilized in an autoclave using very hot steam. Dentists use many different tools made from stainless steel, including mirrors, forceps, picks and probes.

  1. Mirrors

    • Dentists use small, hand-held mirrors to examine parts of the mouth that are not easily visible for direct examination. The instruments, which may be single or double-sided, reflect light into the dark corners of a patient's mouth as well as allowing the dentist to inspect teeth from many different angles. Dental mirrors can be made entirely from stainless steel, or might just have a stainless steel handle paired with a reflective surface made from other materials, such as plated glass.

    Forceps

    • Forceps look similar to a pair of tongs or pliers and are used to extract teeth. They are designed with two front tips that fit around a tooth and grip it securely when the handle is squeezed, allowing the dentist to remove the tooth from its socket. Since the extraction process can cause bleeding, dentists generally prefer forceps made from surgical stainless steel because they are easy to sterilize.

    Scalers & Curettes

    • Scalers and curettes are long, thin instruments that dentists use to remove deposits of plaque and tartar. A scaler has a triangular blade and scrapes buildup from the surfaces of the teeth, while a curette has a rounded blade and is used underneath the gums. Both tools are usually made from stainless steel with higher percentages of carbon steel, because instruments made from alloys with more carbon are harder and remain sharper longer.

    Probes

    • Probes help dentists evaluate a patient's gum pockets and locate cracks or holes in the enamel of a tooth. These tools are shaped like scalers, but instead of blades, they have pointed tips that are used for gentle poking. The dentist will insert the tip of the probe into a gum pocket and visually gauge the depth of the pocket based on the extent that the instrument can penetrate. Since probes are used frequently in dental exams, most are made from stainless steel, which is resistant to corrosion from saliva.

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