{"id":19423,"date":"2021-11-16T15:35:17","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T20:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19423"},"modified":"2023-03-06T11:46:43","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T16:46:43","slug":"demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/","title":{"rendered":"Demystifying Your Dentist’s Toolkit"},"content":{"rendered":"

I don\u2019t count myself among the <\/span>36 percent of people<\/span><\/a> who experience <\/span>dental anxiety<\/span><\/a>, but I confess my heart rate increases each time I see that little silver tray of tiny ice picks awaiting me in the dentist\u2019s office \u2014 not to mention the tubes, whirring noises and smells.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since <\/span>regular teeth cleanings and care are essential<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s important to demystify common dental instruments in order to understand what\u2019s going into your mouth and what your dentist is doing the next time you\u2019re in the exam chair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNone of these instruments should cause pain,\u201d says <\/span>Whitney Rose DiFoggio<\/span><\/a>, a registered dental hygienist in Chicago. \u201cIf for some reason you are feeling discomfort, always let the dental clinician know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before your next dental appointment, empower yourself with some basic knowledge about the tools of the trade. Here\u2019s a rundown of the equipment you\u2019ll likely encounter at the dentist\u2019s office during a standard cleaning or procedure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sickle probe<\/h3>\n

A skinny metal hand instrument with a hook, or sickle, at the end. It\u2019s sometimes called an \u201cexplorer\u201d because it is commonly used to explore your teeth for any \u201csticky\u201d spots potentially indicating cavities. It can also be used to help detect tartar (plaque that has hardened) below the gumline.<\/span><\/p>\n

Periodontal probe<\/h3>\n

This metal hand instrument has a miniature ruler on the end. It\u2019s used to check the health of the gingiva (your gums, bone and surrounding gum tissue) by measuring the space between the gums and the teeth in millimeters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mirror<\/h3>\n

A roughly quarter-sized mirror at the end of a long handle. This allows the dentist to get a good look at all sides and surfaces of your teeth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultrasonic scaler<\/h3>\n

An ultrasonic scaler is a handheld device that\u2019s connected to a water line. The combination of high pressurized water and ultrasonic vibrations efficiently removes plaque, tartar and stains from teeth. This scaler also uses water to wash out and remove debris from below the gums.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hand scaler<\/h3>\n

Dental pros use this metal instrument, which comes in different shapes and sizes, to scrape the plaque and tartar from teeth. It is often used after the ultrasonic scaler to reach into small crevices and thoroughly clean each surface of each tooth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prophy angle<\/h3>\n

A prophy angle is a motorized toothbrush used to polish the teeth during a cleaning. Instead of bristles, the end consists of a small rubber cup that uses a rotating motion to polish the teeth with an abrasive toothpaste.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith kids, we call it the \u2018superhero toothbrush\u2019 because it removes plaque and stains from your teeth just like a superhero,\u201d DiFoggio says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Air and water syringe<\/h3>\n

This syringe sprays either water or air into your mouth like a squirt gun. The water helps remove debris from your mouth and the air helps dry the teeth so the clinician can have a clear view of your teeth without saliva getting in the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saliva ejector<\/h3>\n

The saliva ejector is that bendable plastic suction tube that remains in your mouth throughout a dental appointment to remove excess saliva or water that builds up in your mouth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Drill<\/h3>\n

Drills are used to remove decayed parts of the teeth prior to filling cavities or to smooth the surface of a tooth before applying a crown or veneer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lasers<\/h3>\n

In recent years, dental lasers have been used for a variety of purposes in dentistry.\u00a0 The plus side for patients is that lasers tend to be less invasive (and less unnerving) than some traditional tools.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLasers can quietly clean out some cavities without numbing, and they can help treat mouth tissue lesions and gum disease,\u201d says Thomas McCarthy, a dentist in Milwaukee. \u201cThey offer benefits that patients appreciate, but they’re not capable of completely replacing traditional handpieces.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Distractions<\/h3>\n

Finally, you can always use distraction to keep your mind off your mouth while you\u2019re at the dentist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe dental profession is acutely aware of the \u2018bother\/scare\u2019 aspects of what we do,\u201d McCarthy says. \u201cHeadphones, TV screens and sedation frequently help patients who fear going to the dentist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Ready to book a dentist’s appointment? Visit Zocdoc.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Understanding what they’re using to poke around in your mouth. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":18183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[12,103,97,38,69,106],"class_list":["post-19423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-anxiety","tag-prep","tag-dental-care","tag-lists","tag-the-psychology-of-being-a-patient","tag-treatment","reviewer-dr-nassim-assefi"],"yoast_head":"\nDemystifying Your Dentist's Toolkit - Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Understanding what they're using to poke around in your mouth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Demystifying Your Dentist's Toolkit - Guides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Understanding what they're using to poke around in your mouth.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Paper Gown\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-16T20:35:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-06T16:46:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/HeroDentalColor2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"968\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"452\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Christina Frank\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Christina Frank\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Christina Frank\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c639a411942eb74533e61737822767f4\"},\"headline\":\"Demystifying Your Dentist’s Toolkit\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-16T20:35:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-06T16:46:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/\"},\"wordCount\":695,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/HeroDentalColor2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Anxiety\",\"Appointment Prep\",\"Dental Care\",\"Lists\",\"The Psychology of Being a Patient\",\"Treatment\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Guides\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/\",\"name\":\"Demystifying Your Dentist's Toolkit - Guides\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/HeroDentalColor2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-16T20:35:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-06T16:46:43+00:00\",\"description\":\"Understanding what they're using to poke around in your mouth.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/HeroDentalColor2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/HeroDentalColor2.png\",\"width\":968,\"height\":452,\"caption\":\"Kelsey Tyler\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/category\/guides\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Demystifying Your Dentist’s Toolkit\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"The Paper Gown\",\"description\":\"Stories for and about patients\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Zocdoc\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png\",\"width\":2059,\"height\":1049,\"caption\":\"Zocdoc\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c639a411942eb74533e61737822767f4\",\"name\":\"Christina Frank\",\"description\":\"Christina Frank is a health and medical writer in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been published by Yale Medicine, Northwestern Medicine, The Child Mind Institute, and The New York Times.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/author\/christina-frank\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Demystifying Your Dentist's Toolkit - Guides","description":"Understanding what they're using to poke around in your mouth.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Demystifying Your Dentist's Toolkit - Guides","og_description":"Understanding what they're using to poke around in your mouth.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/","og_site_name":"The Paper Gown","article_published_time":"2021-11-16T20:35:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-06T16:46:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":968,"height":452,"url":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/HeroDentalColor2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Christina Frank","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Christina Frank","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/"},"author":{"name":"Christina Frank","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c639a411942eb74533e61737822767f4"},"headline":"Demystifying Your Dentist’s Toolkit","datePublished":"2021-11-16T20:35:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-06T16:46:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/"},"wordCount":695,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/HeroDentalColor2.png","keywords":["Anxiety","Appointment Prep","Dental Care","Lists","The Psychology of Being a Patient","Treatment"],"articleSection":["Guides"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/","name":"Demystifying Your Dentist's Toolkit - Guides","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/HeroDentalColor2.png","datePublished":"2021-11-16T20:35:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-06T16:46:43+00:00","description":"Understanding what they're using to poke around in your mouth.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/HeroDentalColor2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/HeroDentalColor2.png","width":968,"height":452,"caption":"Kelsey Tyler"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/demystifying-your-dentists-toolkit\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/category\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Demystifying Your Dentist’s Toolkit"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/","name":"The Paper Gown","description":"Stories for and about patients","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Zocdoc","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png","width":2059,"height":1049,"caption":"Zocdoc"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c639a411942eb74533e61737822767f4","name":"Christina Frank","description":"Christina Frank is a health and medical writer in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been published by Yale Medicine, Northwestern Medicine, The Child Mind Institute, and The New York Times.","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/author\/christina-frank\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}