Power Scalers Flashcards
What converts electric or pneumatic energy into a mechanical vibration?
Power scalers
What happens when the power scaler is placed against the calculus?
Vibration shatters it
What is the range of cycles per second the power scaler operates in?
8000 to 45,000
What are the three types of power instruments?
Ultrasonic scaler
Sonic and rotary instruments
What does the ultrasonic scaler do?
Converting sound waves into a mechanical vibration
What do the sonic and rotary instruments do?
Convert air pressure into mechanical vibration
How do ultrasonic instruments work?
By converting energy from a power source into a sound wave
Where is the sound wave picked up?
At the handpiece
What are the two type of devices in the handpiece that can pick up the sound wave and turn it into a vibration?
Magnetostrictive and Piezoelectric
Which handpiece uses either a ferroceramic rod or metal strips?
Magnetostrictive
What do the flat metal strip units vibrate at?
18,000 cycles per second
25,000 cycles per second
30,000 cycles per second
Why are lower amplitudes better?
Because they cause less damage to the tooth
These instruments have an amplitude of what?
0.01 and 0.05 mm
What are the ultrasonic and combination motor handpieces used for?
Polishing and simple cutting of teeth
These instruments have an amplitude of what?
0.01 to 0.02 mm with a circular-type motion
If using an inserting ultrasonic unit what must be filled before the insertion of the insert?
The handpiece
If using a ferroceramic rod unit, what must be drained before insertion of the insert?
The handpiece
What happens if the insert is forced into a hand-piece that contains water?
It may prevent the insert from vibrating or cause the tip to fracture
What do piezoelectric ultrasonic scalers use in the handpiece to pick up the vibration?
Crystals
What is the frequency and amplitude of the piezoelectic units?
25,000 to 45,00 cycles per unit
Amplitude 0.2 mm
What does the amplitude of 0.2 mm in a piezoelectric unit result in?
Wide, back-and-forth tip motion
Is the vibration energy of a piezoelectric unit distributed evenly down the tip?
No
The motion of the piezo tip is not uniform, the tip moves farther in one direction than in the other, what does this mean?
That during use the most active side of the tip must be placed on the part of the tooth where the calculus is to be removed
What is the most popular and effective solution placed in the containers?
0.12% chlorhexidine
What was the first type of tip developed, is relatively wide and is used for supragingival cleaning?
The beaver-tail tip
What is a thin tip and can be used subgingivally?
The “perio probe”
Which tips hook to the left or right, which allows them to gain access to furcations around crowns and be used subgingivally?
The Furcation tips
What is the frequency and amplitude that sonic scalers operate at?
6000 cycles per second
0.5 mm amplitude
What is the motion of sonic cleaners?
Elliptic, a figure-of-eight motion
What is one feature of a sonic scaler?
The compressed air has a cooling effect
They are less likely to cause heat-related damage to the teeth than ultrasonic scalers
Why is the use of rotary scalers discouraged?
Rotary scalers can easily damage the tooth
Burs must be replaced often because they become dull extremely quickly
