Dental Equipment Intro

Academic qualifications and experience are one the key things patients look for when they want dental care. However, the equipment in a dental clinic makes a huge difference. Everything from the sterilization equipment, to the imaging equipment, should be top-notch if a practitioner wishes to provide the best dental care, which is the purpose of this department/clinic. We’d like to walk you through on some of the best and upcoming dental equipment and technology.

Dental Equipment

Types of Dental Equipment

When you have problems with your teeth and/or gum, you visit a dental clinic. There you will be treated by a dentist, who is a medical practitioner.

When you visit a dental clinic, the procedure is like any other clinic. The dentist will check you, diagnose the problem, and come up with a treatment plan. For all these steps, the dentist uses different types of equipment.

The types of dental equipment you will find in a dental clinic include:

Handpieces

Hand instruments, also known as handpieces, are tools you will find in any dental clinic. They are used for functions such as tooth and gum examination, cutting and removing teeth, carving and polishing teeth, teeth cleaning, and, teeth filling. Having the correct and recent handpieces for each function is essential.

Dental chairs

One would argue that chairs are not dental equipment, but they contribute to the comfort of the not only the patient but also the dentist during any dental procedure. Some of the features of dental chairs are swivels, soft cushioning, backrest, headrest, and ergonomic design. Recent technologies in these chairs include movable armrest, replaceable upholstery, and magnetic armrest. They also contain air compressors and disinfection water supplies.

Imaging equipment

Some dental problems are hard to examine with the naked eye. Dentists, therefore use radiography imaging. The conventional technique is X-ray imaging. Nowadays, dentists are using digital radiography systems that allow them to view the images on devices such as tablets, smartphones, and TV screens. The main advantage of digital radiography systems over the traditional film is clarity as digital devices have high resolution. The X-Ray system applies a panoramic X-Ray around the patient head to make sure that the patient’s teeth are clearly screened.  

Sterilization equipment

Dentists need to sterilize their equipment. The mouth is a sensitive area, meaning even the slightest infection can be fatal. Traditionally they sterilized equipment using heat, where you would find them placing the equipment over a flame. Nowadays, there are advanced electronic dental sterilizers, which not only get rid of all pathogens but are also very fast. Autoclaves or sterilizers form an integral part of dental care, in hospitals the handpieces and instruments used are sterilized in the CSSD area (central sterile services department)

Delivery systems

The delivery systems allow the dentist easy access to handpieces and other tools and equipment. The most common delivery systems are chair-mounted and portable delivery systems. Other than delivering tools, some delivery systems are integrated with waterlines, fiber-optic systems, and intraoral camera. And, these systems will only become more functional in the near feature. 

Other types of dental equipment

The equipment covered above is not the only one you will find in a dental clinic. Others include:

·         Chairside systems
·         3D imaging systems
·         Intraoral cameras
·         Endodontic equipment
·         Surgical microscopes


Due to technology, dental equipment and technology are ever advancing. Would you like to be up to date with the dental world? Check in with us regularly and you will not miss on the latest technologies.

Top 7 Dental Equipment Manufacturers