​A guide to dental equipment

While being at a dentist’s office might seem like all drills and chairs and X-ray machines, you will find that the dental equipment you need as the owner of a dental practice is something that is a lot more confusing than you might think at first glance. If you want to own your own dental practice at some point, you will want to know what all the dental equipment is, what it does, and why you need it for your practice.

Here’s a guide to some of the best dental equipment you will need and use in your dental practice, and some of the must haves that every single practice is going to need.

All Sorts Of Dental Probe

The most common items you will have in your mouth if you are in the patient’s chair, whenever you are sitting in the dentist’s chair they are also the most common tool you will use.

These dental probes are designed to probe and pick at your teeth to help the dentist see what is going on with your oral health. As a dentist, you will be using all sorts of probes to analyze the teeth of your patients, such as a sickle probe- which is a sickle shaped probe that helps to locate cavities and other problems. Periodontal probes measure the gums to see if the patient has any gum problems or is at risk for periodontal disease, and the dental mouth mirror can be classified as a probe as well.

The dental mouth mirror is going to be very useful as well, because it will allow you to inspect all the teeth in the mouth, or a specific problem tooth, from several different angles to ensure you can see what is going on within the patient’s mouth.

Anesthetic and Sedatives

An anesthetic is something that can be used whenever a patient is undergoing a procedure or an operation on their teeth and they are worried about pain, or they need to be kept still until the procedure is fully finished up. An anesthetic numbs the teeth and gums so you can operate on the softer enamel inside of the teeth without the patient feeling any pain. It is perfect for longer surgeries and operations as well, although the patient is fully conscious and only has their mouth numbed for the procedure

If you don’t want to have the patient to be awake during the procedure, then you can also administer sedatives to keep them calm and drowsy during a dental procedure. The sedatives you can use include nitrous oxide (laughing gas), oral sedatives, or an IV sedative as well. All of these have different means of being administered to the patient, as well as different means of use both during and after the procedure as well.

Make sure you know exactly what you need to tell the patient about the sedative before you use it, and how to administer it correctly and safely to make sure the procedure can get itself done.

Dental Handpieces

These are another common type of dental tool, and no dentist would ever be caught dead without one. The dental handpiece is the jack of all trades when it comes to dentistry, and it is also known by another name… a name that can invoke terror in the hearts and minds of those afraid of the dentist’s chair: The dental drill.

Handpieces for dentistry haven’t changed much, but you do need to know how to use them effectively and for what procedures because not everything requires them. Additionally, there are high speed handpieces that are able to remove tooth tissue, low speed handpieces that are designed to prepare the teeth for cavity removal as well as for root canals, and electric handpieces that can vary between the speeds to give you two handpieces in one!

No matter which handpiece you might need for your dental practice, you will need at least one because they are very important tools that will eventually come into use.

Arm Yourself With The Right Equipment, and Everything Will Be Good

As a dentist, making sure that you are carrying and are supplied with the right equipment for your practice is essential. Make sure to make room in both your budget and your office for the correct equipment, and before you know it you will be dealing with satisfied and smiling patients who have been treated with the best dental equipment, and by the best dentist in town!