Exam 17: Instrumentation for Client Assessment and Care

A suspected carious lesion on the occlusal surface of tooth #19 is BEST detected by applying firm pressure with the sharp tip of an explorer to the occlusal grooves. Catching the tip of the explorer in the grooves of a tooth is a recommended method of caries detection.

The working stroke used with an ultrasonic tip is in a coronal to apical direction (starting beneath the gingival margin and moving toward the junctional epithelium). The working stroke with a hand instrument moves in an apical to coronal direction (starting at the junctional epithelium and moving toward the gingival margin).

Periodontal probing of a dental implant may be invasive because the probe may penetrate the weakly adherent biologic seal and could introduce bacteria into peri-implant tissues. Accurate probing depths may be difficult to obtain because of the constricted "cervical" area of some dental implants.

What type of instrumentation stroke uses a face-to-tooth angulation of 50 to 70 degrees, light lateral pressure, fluid, flowing strokes, and strokes of moderate length?

Which instrument would be BEST to detect furcation involvement on multiple-rooted teeth?

When the clinician puts a new mouth mirror in the client's mouth, she notices the image is distorted. What is the most reasonable explanation for this?

A posterior sickle is effective in removing moderate calculus deposits from the coronal surfaces of premolars and molars. A posterior sickle is a double-ended instrument that can be used on the facial, lingual, mesial, and distal surfaces of the crowns of posterior teeth.

A clinician is removing calculus from the lingual aspect of the client's maxillary anterior tooth surfaces away from the 12 o'clock position. The clinician's head is bent forward, and the clinician is leaning toward the client. What correction should the clinician make for an ergonomic body position?

The posterior sextants exhibit moderate sub?gingival calculus deposits. The clinician plans to complete subgingival calculus removal on the mandibular left posterior sextant. Clinical attachment loss is present with periodontal pockets greater than 4 mm in depth. A class III furcation involvement is present on teeth #18 and #19. Which sequence of periodontal instruments would be MOST effective for subgingival calculus removal in this sextant?