1. Restorative Dental Instruments
Mr. Caputo
Unit #1 Lesson #4

2. Today’s Class
Driving Question: What purpose do restorative instruments serve in a dental operatory?
Learning Intentions: We will be able to state the names, features, and functions of various dental hand and rotary instruments.
Anchor: Explain the purpose that dental examination instruments serve in a dental operatory.

3. Restorative Instruments
Come in wide variety of shapes and sizes
Hand cutting instruments are used in preparation of tooth cavities
Amalgam restorative instruments consist of condensers, carvers, and burnishers
Composite resin placement instruments are designed to be used specifically with composite restorative materials
Adjunctive instruments are also necessary

4. Hand Cutting Instruments
Most restorative procedures require use of hand cutting instruments
Designed with sharp cutting edges
Used for cavity preparation of various teeth in different parts of mouth
Cutting or refining instruments include spoon excavators, chisels, hatchets, hoes, and gingival margin trimmers

5. Spoon Excavators
Double-ended instrument with spoon or disc-shaped blade
Used primarily to remove debris, decay, and dentin from tooth preparations
Tips and sides of spoon excavator are paired and designed for cutting or scooping
May also be used to remove temporary crowns or excess temporary and permanent cement

6. Double-Ended Excavators
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

7. Chisels Also called enamel chisels
Used to cleave or split enamel not supported by dentin along lines of enamel rods, and to smooth and sharpen cavity walls
Straight chisels
have single bevels and straight shanks
Bi-angle chisels
have two distinct angles – one at shank and one at working end
Wedelstaedt chisels
have single bevels and curved shanks

8. The Straight, Wedelstaedt, and Bi-Angle Chisel
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

9. Enamel Hatchets Have single cutting ends or cutting edges on both ends
Blades are set at a 45- to 90-degree angle from shank
Designed to cleave or cut enamel along lines of enamel rods and to prepare walls and accessible margins of a cavity preparation

10. Bi-Bevel Hatchet
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

11. Hoes Look like a miniature garden hoe
Used with pulling motion to smooth and shape the floor and sides of cavity preparations
Blades are set at a 45- to 90-degree angle, almost perpendicular, from their handle
Click here for a questions to consider

12. Questions to Consider To learn more about dental instruments,
Why is it required to smooth the walls of the cavity preparation? What would happen if the walls were left uneven?
To learn more about dental instruments,
click here or go to
Dental/DentSetups/default.asp

13. Hoe Dental Hand Instrument
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

14. Gingival Margin Trimmers
Modified hatchets that have working ends with opposite curvatures and bevels
Used to trim, smooth, and shape the gingival floor of a cavity preparation in order to aid in retention of restoration
Available in double-ended styles and used in pairs
Working end of an even-numbered instrument is beveled for use on the distal surface of a restorative preparation, while odd-numbered end is angled for use on medial surface

15. Gingival Margin Trimmer
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

16. Sharpening Hand Cutting Instruments
Edge of blade must be kept at proper angle while sharpened
May be done manually with flat Arkansas sharpening stone or aluminum oxide stone, or by cylindrical stones mounted on a slow-speed handpiece or lathe
Sharpening stone must be well lubricated with honing oil
Safety glasses must be worn

17. Amalgam Carriers
Transport freshly prepared amalgam restorative material to cavity preparation
Have hollow working ends, called barrels, into which amalgam is packed for transportation
Both single- and double-ended carriers are available, with various barrel sizes
When lever at the top of carrier is depressed, amalgam is ejected into cavity preparation

18. Double-Ended Amalgam Carrier
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

19. Condensers Also called pluggers
Used to condense or pack amalgam filling material into cavity preparation
Hammer-like working end is large enough to compress soft amalgam
Come in single- and double-ended designs
Ends are of various shapes and sizes and may be smooth or serrated

20. Double-Ended Amalgam Condenser
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

21. Carvers
Have sharp cutting edges that are used to shape, form, or cut tooth anatomy into amalgam restorations
Interproximal and #1/2 Hollenback carvers are designed for carving in between interproximal tooth surfaces
Discoid-Cleoid and Tanner #5 carvers are used on occlusal surfaces
Frahm amalgam carver or acorn carver is used to quickly carve basic anatomy on occlusal surfaces

22. Hollenback Amalgam Carver
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

23. Discoid-Cleoid Amalgam Carver
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

24. Frahm Amalgam Carver
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

25. Burnishers Used to smooth and polish amalgam restoration
Also used to remove scratches left on amalgam surface from carving instruments
Have smooth, rounded working ends and come in various shapes, including round, egg, football, and flat

26. Egg and Ball Amalgam Burnisher
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

27. Acorn Amalgam Burnisher
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

28. Plastic Filling Instruments
Variety of double-ended instruments
Used to transport and place dental cements, temporary filling materials, insulating materials, and pulp-capping materials
Working ends range from varying small cylinders to assorted angles and paddle-like shapes
Designed to place materials into tooth while they are still in the plastic and pliable stage
Most common is the Woodson #2, also called Woodson metal plastic instrument

29. Composite Resin Instruments
Used for condensing and contouring dental composite resin restorative materials
Manufactured in anodized aluminum, aluminum titanium-coated stainless steel, or Teflon
Available in an assortment of designs and are often similar in design to the metal Woodson #2
Allow for placement of composite materials without composite resin sticking to the instrument
Disposable brush is frequently used to apply liquids when etching and bonding is required

30. Composite Resin Instruments
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

31. Adjunctive Instruments
Cement spatulas
Gingival retraction cord packing instrument
Articulating paper forceps
Crown and bridge, or crown and collar, scissors
Amalgam well
Glass dappen dish

32. Cement Spatulas
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

33. Crown and Bridge Scissors
Courtesy Hu-Friedy

34. Homework #1
Bring Classroom contract back signed.