To celebrate 25 years of Dentistry magazine, we’ve asked leading dental professionals for their game-changing innovation that shaped their career. In this article we asked Charlotte Wake what her game-changing product is.
Charlotte is dually qualified as a dental hygienist and dental therapist and has undertaken extended training in Zoom tooth whitening.
Charlotte was a finalist for ‘Dental Therapist of the Year’ in 2007.
Until recently Charlotte was on the council for the British Association of Dental Therapists.
Charlotte is a professional writer regularly published in dental journals.
She won the national award of Dental Therapist of the Year 2011/12.
Charlotte has been a judge for the Oral Health Awards.
In July 2019 the book 100 years of Women in the Dental Profession in the UK included Charlotte’s profile.
Hand scalers
When asked to review a dental product that helps my working life, my beloved Cavitron immediately drew my attention.
But that is an obvious selection and there are so many other tools that also contribute to making a happier hygienist.
My favourite hand scaler is the Montana Jack Scaler R138.
The Paradise Dental Technologies (PDT) scaler is bright yellow.
It is remarkably light and easy to use with a particularly thin blade.
Indeed, it has an easy-to-grip solid resin handle, which feels comfortable on use.
I also love the way I can access the posterior teeth with ease with this scaler.
Leaving behind the days of struggling with cheek retraction for access.
There is a variation of this scaler called the R138R, which is more rigid and I find quite universal.
Designed to help with more tenacious calculus, the scaler feels like it has extra backbone.
There is a distinct difference between the rigid and non-rigid version making them both must-haves in my hand instrument collections.
Why hand scalers?
Although the ultrasonic is an essential part of any hygienists armour, I do still like the tactile sensitivity that comes with these hand scalers.
I use a full range of PDT scalers, their website says their blades are durable and require less sharpening due to their ‘proprietary heat treatment and cryogenic treatment processes that create harder and tougher instruments with the development of an amazing grain structure for our metal tips’.
I have personally found I do not need to sharpen these scalers as often as other makes and they really are my go to scaler.
These scalers can be purchased in various places including Swallow Dental Supplies and CTS Dental Supplies, they are competitively priced compared with other sickles and really worth giving a go!
