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List of Equipment for a Dental Clinic

A dental clinic is a place where patients receive treatment for their teeth. These treatments can include but are not limited to teeth cleaning, extraction, X-rays, fillings and root canal surgery. The procedures available at a dental clinic depend on the qualifications and experience of the dentists. Equipment used in clinics vary from expensive machinery to small teeth cleaning tools.

  1. Mirror and Probes

    • The dental mirror is a small instrument the dentist uses to see inside the patient's mouth. This tool is a small circular mirror mounted on a metal rod that is several inches long. Dental probes are used to help the dentist find the physical inconsistencies in teeth that signal cavities and other problems. There are different kinds of probes. All probes are thin metal rods with a different shaped or angled pick at the end. Probes are inserted in the mouth and gently scraped or pushed into different areas of the teeth and gums. The sickle or contra-angled probe is used most often.

    Radiograph Equipment

    • Another way a dentist looks inside your mouth to determine its health is with the use of X-rays. X-ray machines are used while you sit in the dentist's chair. They work with radiation waves. Radiation can be harmful, so you might have to wear a protective blanket while your X-ray is being taken. Radiograph film is what the X-ray image is recorded on. Depending on the area of your mouth to be X-rayed, radiograph film comes in several shapes and sizes.

    Other Equipment

    • The dentist uses several other instruments in his equipment arsenal. There is the saliva ejector, which is a tool that provides a low level suction in the mouth to control and remove saliva while the dentist is working. Although low tech, cotton rolls and pellets are also put in the mouth to control not only saliva but blood as well. The dentist uses dental burs to smooth and polish teeth that he fixes. This procedure is done after one of any number of procedures from filling a cavity to repairing a chipped tooth.

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