Dental Instrument training: Burnisher & Curettes
On September 20, 2018, Nick Smith led training on two types of dental instruments. Links back to the DentalPlanet.com selection for both instruments are provided.
Burnisher
A burnisher is normally used at the end of dental restoration procedures, they are used for packing and modeling composites.
There are various types of burnishers, each with its own specialized purpose. The working ends of the burnishers are angled, and the ends, either or both, are rounded and smooth- the highly polished tips keep the material from sticking to the instrument.
- Flat plastic burnisher
- Ball burnisher
- Beavertail burnisher
- Cone burnisher
- T-ball burnisher
- Rotary burnisher
The video below shows many different instruments used for amalgam restoration. Several burnishers are featured.
Curette
A curette is like a scaler in that it’s designed to remove moderate calculus on multiple tooth surfaces. They have two cutting edges. There are generally two types of curettes, Universal & area specific (Gracey).
- Universal- One curette designed for all tooth surface areas, where both cutting edges are utilized.
- Gracey- There are many different ones, all responsible for different areas of the tooth. Only one cutting edge is used, rather than both.
Here are the recommended curettes from Paradise Dental Technologies (PDT), based off their color chart-
- Anterior: R016 GRACEY 1-2, R018 GRACEY 3-4, R020 GRACEY 5-6
- Pre-Molar: R022 GRACEY 7-8, R024 GRACEY 9-10
- Mesial: R026 GRACEY 11-12, R030 GRACEY 15-16
- Distal: R028 GRACEY 13-14, R032 GRACEY 17-18
The video below shares design details about the Gracey Curettes.