Ultrasonic Cleaning
Our office is proud to be among those that use ultrasonic cleaning instruments not only to treat teeth with surrounding periodontal (gum) disease but also in routine oral prophylaxis (cleanings). The advantages of using ultrasonics versus metal hand instruments are enormous. The primary task of any cleaning instrument is to remove tartar and scale from the crowns and the roots of teeth and ultrasonic inserts do this by vibrating at 25 to 30 thousand cycles per second. As a bonus, the agitation of the water irrigation used to cool these tips has been shown to produce a phenomenon called "cavitation" which not only flushes the germs out of the pockets surrounding the teeth but also exhibits a certain level of antimicrobial (germ-killing) action greatly reducing the level of plaque and toxins in these pockets. Metal hand instruments, on the other hand, do, indeed, remove accretions from the surfaces of the teeth but aren't nearly as efficient at removing bacterial plaque and its by-produts. Also, there is some evidence that hand instrumentation taken to the base of shallow gum pockets can result in a loss of the attachment of the gums to the roots of the teeth. Studies have shown that hand and ultrasonic instrumentation produce similar results when evaluated on clinical acceptability but ultrasonics are superior in reducing the microbial environment in a shorter period of time producing a smoother root surface and better access to the bottom of the gum pockets. (It must be said here that ultrasonic is also very efficient at stain removal.)

Ultrasonic instruments have been around since the late 50's but did not become really popular until the 80's when Dr. Tom Holbrook began modifying the tips making them smaller to improve access to the base of the pockets. These "slim tips" can get into most of the nooks and crannies around the teeth with much greater ease and a greater comfort level than hand scalers. A real bonus is that operator fatigue is greatly reduced due to the requirement of a lighter grip and shorter treatment time. Ultrasonics has pretty well eliminated the carpel tunnel problems that dentists and dental hygienists have been plagued with in the past.

Although we still use some hand instrumentation, ultrasonics are the backbone of our preventive and therapeutic periodontal program. We do use a lot of irrigation when doing these procedures most of which is evacuated from the mouth by a dental assistant. However, we use distilled water in literally all of our dental procedures and, if you wish to swallow during active treatment, this is as good drinking water as you can get. As dental professionals, we are here to help you improve your oral health the best way we know how.

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