Adaptation Strokes Flashcards
What is motion activation?
Moving the instrument to produce an instrument stroke against the tooth using wrist and digital movements
What is wrist motion activation?
Rotating the hand and wrist together to provide the power for a stroke
Most common
What are the uses of wrist activation?
Used for all calculus removal with hand activated instruments
Creates the most power and causes the least amount of fatigue
What is digital motion activation?
Moving the instruments by flexing the thumb, index and middle fingers.
Push-pull movements
Uses of digital motion
Used primarily with ultrasonic instruments when no physical strength is required.
Not recommended for calculus removal with hand instruments.
Good for restricted areas such as furcations
What is the purpose of rolling the instrument handle?
Maintains precise contact of the working end to the tooth surface as it moves around it.
The drive finger (either thumb or index) is used to turn the instrument
What is pivoting?
Tiny movement to reposition the hand while the fulcrum supports the hand and arm by balancing on the fulcrum finger
What is the purpose of pivoting on the fulcrum?
Maintaining adaptation as the working end moves around the tooth. Used mostly when moving around a line angle onto a proximal surface
What is adaptation?
Positioning of the first one to 2 mm of the working ends lateral surface in contact with the tooth
What are the three imaginary sections of the working end?
Leading third, middle third, heel third
What is the leading third for a curette or a scaler?
The toe for a curette and the tip for a scaler
For correct adaptation where should the leading third be?
Always in contact with the tooth surface. Sometimes the middle third as well.
Heel third should never be in contact with the tooth surface
Characteristics of instrumentation strokes
The active moving the working end against the tooth surface
Instrumentation strokes can be calculus removal/root debridement strokes or exploratory strokes to detect calculus
What is junctional epithelium?
Soft epithelial tissue forming the base of a gingival sulcus/pocket
Consider it’s location moving across the tooth surface, cutting edges could injure the junctional epithelium
What are the three different strokes directions
Vertical, oblique, horizontal
Describe vertical strokes
Used mostly on anterior teeth on the facial, lingual and proximal surfaces.
On posterior teeth they are used on mesial and distal surfaces
Where are obliques strokes used?
Facial and lingual surfaces of posterior teeth
Where are horizontal strokes used?
Line angles of posterior teeth, furcation areas and deep, narrow pockets
Also used on narrow root surfaces of anterior teeth
What are the three types of instrumentation strokes?
Assessment stroke, calculus removal stroke, root debridement stroke
What are assessment strokes used for?
Evaluating the tooth surface
To locate calculus deposits
Feather light movements that contact the tooth but without any pressure
Describe calculus removal strokes
Used to lift calculus deposits off the tooth surface with curettes and scalers
Tiny, biting strokes used to snap calculus deposits off of teeth. Moderate pressure applied
Describe root debridement strokes
Used to remove residual calculus deposits, bacterial biofilm and byproducts from root surfaces exposed because of gingival recession and root surfaces deep within perio pockets
Characteristics of root debridement strokes
Lighter shaving stroke of moderate length. Used with curettes and light pressure against the tooth surface
Conservation of cementum facilitates tissue healing
Pathological potential of sub gingival calculus deposits
Covered with disease causing bacteria
Contributes to perio disease
Important for controlling disease
Surface of calculus is irregular at microscopic level
