Ultrasonic Dental Scaler
Ultrasonic scalers remove plaque, calculus and endotoxin during periodontal care, with aerosol control needed around the procedure.
[1][2][3]The short answer
Ultrasonic scalers use a vibrating tip during periodontal care to remove plaque, calculus and endotoxin from tooth surfaces.
[1][2][3]
What is an ultrasonic dental scaler?
How is it used in dental treatment?
During periodontal scaling and root planing, light overlapping strokes can remove endotoxin weakly attached to the root surface. Medium-power ultrasonic use appears to cause less root-surface damage than hand or sonic scaling.
[3]What are its limits?
What alternatives may be discussed?
Hand instruments and sonic scalers are the direct alternatives studied alongside ultrasonic instruments. Air polishing is another device-based approach studied in periodontal maintenance and implant maintenance.
[3]What does this mean for a patient?
The device is used to manage deposits in periodontal care, rather than to diagnose a symptom. Cavitation occurs at the free end of the tip, and the cavitation cloud changes with power and tip shape.
[3]What safety questions should you ask?
Ultrasonic and sonic scalers produce aerosols, including contaminated aerosols, so infection-control measures are part of safe use. A 29 kHz scaler study found cavitation increased with power and varied by tip shape.
[4]Frequently asked questions
Why does an ultrasonic scaler make a spray?
Ultrasonic and sonic scalers produce aerosols during instrumentation, which is why infection-control care is required around the procedure.
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