I’m a big fan of simplicity and have been for a very long time. I like keeping things to an absolute minimum whenever possible in my life, so naturally that same philosophy extends to my life as a dental hygienist. In this post, I will share how few instruments I actually use to complete all the scaling I do.
The Parkell Burnett Power Tip is the best overall tip I have ever used. It is longer, more powerful and slightly thinner than your typical universal tip. It is the foundation of my scaling toolbox and is used to complete most of the scaling I do. The American Eagle XP instruments not only work well, but the XP technology eliminates the need to sharpen! The American Eagle Posterior Double Gracey combines two instruments into one (11/12 and 13/4). Those are two beautiful examples of embedding simplicity into the design. Love it.
Links
– Parkell Burnett Power Tip
– Parkell Straight Perio Tip
– Parkell Curved Perio Tips
– Parkell GentleClean Tips
– American Eagle XP BlackJack instrument
– American Eagle XP Barnhart 5/6 instrument
– American Eagle XP Posterior Double Gracey
This is what I use for the vast majority of the scaling I do (~95%).
Left to right: Parkell Burnett Power Tip, American Eagle BlackJack XP instrument, American Eagle XP Barnhart 5/6 instrument.
This is what I use sometimes (~5%).
Parkell Straight Perio tip
This is what I have just in case, but rarely use or need (~1%).
Left to right: Parkell GentleClean tip, Parkell curved perio tips (left and right), American Eagle posterior double gracey..
How do you keep things simple in your office?
Hello Mark!
Great post! I happen to use American Eagle’s XP instruments and the Burnett power tip as well, they are very useful! However, I was wondering if you could explain case use for the Straight Perio, Gentle clean, Curved perio tips. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
Dr. Shaw
I basically use the perio tips (straight most of the time) for better access around the contact areas. The GentalClean tips can be be used for recall patients that are sensitive, but I can’t say how well they work. I just got them and haven’t tried them yet.
I did get two Parkell Brunette tips. I have not yet tried a straight tip. I use on everyone, the American Eagle XP -golden eagle duo. They are my go to! I am curious about the two u use and want to try them. I am fortunate to be able to order what I need.
When do u use the right and left tips?
I use the perio tips primarily under the contact points for better access. Other than that, the Burnett Power Tip takes care of most of the calculus.