By Dr. Susan Wells

Dentists are trained to use a variety of different tools in the care of treatment of their patient s teeth. Perhaps the most important of these tools is the dentist s own talent for manual dexterity, which is the ability to skillfully and adroitly use the hands and fingers. Dentists must be able to accurately manipulate their fingers and the instruments and tools held in their hands while working inside a patient s mouth. Often they do not have the luxury of space, and they also have to be able to see with the help of mirrors. Imagine trying to thread a needle with your hands inside a cereal box, using nothing but the reflection from a small hand-held mirror to help guide your procedure. That gives you some idea of how dentists work, and helps to underscore the importance of natural tools like hands, fingers, and manual dexterity.

Dental mirrors are a major tool in dentistry, and so are bright lights. We often overlook these very simple tools, but without them the dentist would literally be in the dark and unable to see what he or she was doing inside the cavern of the mouth. Dentists use a variety of different mirrors and high intensity lamps as an integral part of their toolkit. They also use safety tools, to protect their own health and the health of their clients. These include eye protection and latex gloves, plus newer dental dams which were introduced within the past 10-15 years in all dentist offices. The dental dam is a rubber device fitted over the patient s mouth, and it helps to protect transmission of disease through contact with blood when the dentist is performing a surgical procedure.

The tools more commonly associated with dentistry are, of course, those that include drills, hypodermic needles, picks, and scrapers. Anytime a dentist needs to administer medicine or painkiller with an injection he or she uses a typical hypodermic needle. When drilling is required because the teeth are the hardest substance in the human body high speed drills that are specially designed to fit into small places are used. Lots of scissors of various shapes and sizes are used during dental surgery to cut gums or nerves, and other tools are used to clean out crevices in the teeth or gums and remove harmful infections and bacteria.

An excavator which is like a tiny spoon is one of these tools used to remove decay. Once the cavity is cleared and cleaned, the dentist will use an amalgam plugger device to push the new filling into place. Dentists also use instruments called curettes to poke around the gum line and check for disease. They use scaler tools to scrape away plaque and debris that may have accumulated on the surface of the tooth, and of course one of the most important tools in the dental office is the toothbrush. Dentists use high-tech electric toothbrushes to clean and polish the surface of the teeth and give us brighter and whiter smiles.

About the Author: Dr. Susan Wells DMD has been a

warrior dentist

practicing dentistry in Warrior, Alabama since 1978. She treats patients for all aspects of general dentistry including preventive dental care oral hygiene instruction and full scale exams and cleanings. To find out more visit her site at http://DrSusanWells.com.

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