As dental implants become more common, dental hygienists are seeing more patients who require extra care for implant maintenance. In this article, Colleen Olson, RDH, BBA, reviews her go-to set of implant instruments—aptly named the Wingrove Go-To Set by Paradise Dental Technologies (PDT) Inc.
With the increased popularity of and technological advancements made with dental implants in recent years, dental hygienists are seeing an increasing number of patients who require a little extra care in maintaining these implants.
In theory, using an instrument of like metal against a titanium abutment or implant would reduce scratching, which is why titanium instruments are often used for implant care. There are three classifications of dental implant maintenance: Class I patients have healthy tissue around the implant and only require cleaning of the prosthesis and prophylaxis. Class II patients may have some peri-implant gingival recession, pockets of 4 mm or greater, and exposed abutments. Class III implant maintenance patients have significant bone and tissue loss that exposes the implant itself. (1) Although I typically use conventional instruments on implants without an exposed abutment, I am always looking for instrument options for my patients who need Class II or III implant maintenance care.
One of my favorite combinations of instruments for keeping implants clean and healthy is the (appropriately named) Wingrove Go-To Set from Paradise Dental Technologies (PDT) Inc. This set includes three medical-grade titanium scalers, an EasyView probe, and a specialty Diamond Head Ceramic Sharpening Stone, all in a FlipTop cassette.
Each of the three instruments is designed for a specific location and type of prosthesis. The Ti-L3-4 is for narrow-based posterior crowns while the Ti-B5-6 is for wide-based posterior crowns. The Ti-N128-L5 Mini is for anterior crowns, locator abutments, Hader bars, and exposed threads. The handles are lightweight and ergonomic, and the tips are slim.
One problem I’ve run into with plastic instruments is that their tips are bulky and do not fit within the dental implant thread pitch (i.e., the space between the threads) enough to be effective. But this set provides an instrument for any need and I will always keep it handy for my implant patients. I love having all three titanium instruments together in a cassette because you never know what you’re going to get with an implant patient.
Reference
1. Hempton TJ, Bonacci FJ, Lancaster D, Pechter JE. Implant Maintenance: Technique and tools for effective debridement of artificial anatomy. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene website. http://www.dimensionsofdentalhygiene.com/2011/01_January/Features/Implant_Maintenance.aspx. Published January 2011. Accessed February 2017.
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