What good is a superhero without the proper equipment? What would Batman be if he didn’t have his souped-up Batmobile to get him around? It turns out that your local San Diego-Chula Vista dentists also have their own unique set of tools at their disposal. But unlike the gadgets used by fellow superheroes, these devices won’t be hurting anyone anytime soon.
Dental Mirrors
One of the first things dentists will use when they examine your mouth are dental mirrors. These mirrors are nothing more than rounded mirrors at the end of a slim handle made of metal; they allow the doctors to peer around in your mouth. As you can imagine, visibility is quite low inside of the mouth. With the help of an effulgent light and these mirrors, doctors are able to gauge how healthy your teeth and gums are. These tools help doctors with decisions regarding giving crowns to children, identifying cavities, and addressing other health concerns.
Dental Explorers
The first dental tool that may cause anxiety in a patient is the sickle probe or dental explorer. While the tool has a hook on the end that conjures up images of evil villains, this device is merely used to poke and prod the mouth in order to gather information.
Periodontal Probes
Similar to dental explorers, periodontal probes also look sharp and dangerous but are only used to measure the mouth. The poking and measuring that will be done with this tool won’t cause any pain. Probes can come in a number of shapes and sizes but mostly tend to resemble dental explorers, except they take on more of a ninety-degree angle than a hook. They are primarily used to measure the depth in the pockets between your gums and teeth.
While the aforementioned tools may look frightening, their only intention is to help you achieve the healthiest teeth possible.
