Orthodontic offices are full of specialized equipment. To ensure that our patients are comfortable with their treatment, we at the Orland Park office of Dr. Cynthia Wong wanted to provide an overview of some of the most commonly used instruments at our practice.
Dentists of all kinds use handheld mirrors and instruments with pointy tips called explorers. The explorer, or probe, is used to pick away tartar build-up and is especially important for cleaning the teeth of people with braces, but orthodontists also use it while applying elastics. Many of the pliers used in orthodontics are reverse-action to prevent objects from falling into the patient’s mouth. Howe pliers are used to place orthodontic wires, while distal end cutters are used to cut and taper the end of the wires so they will not injure the patient.
Several tools are used just for the application of molar bands. There is a pointed type of plier used specifically for stretching the elastic bands that are used to make space between the teeth before metal bands are placed. Pushers and burnishers are instruments that look like flattened explorers and are used to get the bands in place around the teeth and to shape them after application. Specialized pliers are also used to remove them.
Cynthia Wong, DMD, operates at 15614 S Harlem #B, Orland Park, Illinois, 60462. To contact her office, call 708-444-8341 or visit Dr. Cynthia Wong and send a message.
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