The tissue around implant abutments is susceptible to disease, so implant sites need to be cleaned just like natural teeth during hygiene visits. However, this has to be accomplished without causing any surface changes to the implant that will attract biofilm and plaque because the bone and tissues that support implants are as critical to its survival as they are to natural teeth. It can be challenging to determine what instruments will “do no harm.”
Susan Wingrove, RDH, BS, author of Peri-Implant Therapy for the Dental Hygienist (Wiley), designed a set of solid, medical-grade titanium scalers that will not damage the implant body or crown. The R900 Wingrove Go-To Set available from Paradise Dental Technologies includes a selection of instruments that can be used on any type of dental implant without worrying about leaving scratches behind. The set includes the Wingrove B5-6 Ti R661 for posterior and wide-based crowns; the Wingrove L3-4 Ti R680 for posterior and narrow-based bulbous crowns; and the Wingrove N128-L5 mini Ti R693 for anterior, Hader bars, locator abutments, and exposed threads. The kit also contains a probe and a ceramic sharpening stone—all stored in a specially designed cassette that protects them and can be used for easy sterilization. The blades are manufactured in such a way that they will not scratch implant abutments or crowns, they are thin enough to access small spaces and difficult-to-reach areas, and they can be sharpened.
The R900 Wingrove Go-To Set received a 4.6 rating when it was reviewed by 15 practicing hygienists and was named one of Dental Product Shopper’s Best Products. Among the features favored were the ergonomic light-weight handles, durability, extra-thin tips, sharpness, ability to remove calculus, decreased cleaning time, and improved patient comfort. Evaluators made the following comments:
“High-quality, effective implant scalers with narrow blades, shorter tips and shank angulations that allow posterior access.”
“I am more confident with cleaning hard-to-access implants, with reduced concern about scratching implants.”
“I love the ergonomic handles combined with a titanium tip for ease of use and ease in my hands.”
“These scalers have improved my ergonomics because of the handle width, [light] weight, sharpness of scaler, and because of the shape of the blade…. [They have] improved my speed, ergonomics and reduced my stress level.”
“Just plain easy to use!”
“Loved [the] sharpening stone designed for the instruments.”
“[It’s] nice to have everything in one cassette.”
To read the full review, click here.