Anna M. Pattison, RDH, MS, is editor in chief emerita of Dimensions of Dental Hygiene and an internationally known expert on instrumentation. She teaches in the Department of Dental Hygiene at the USC Ostrow School of Dentistry. In 2010, Pattison was inducted into the USC Ostrow School of Dentistry's Hall of Fame. She also offers Web-based instrumentation instruction for both schools and clinicians at pattisoninstitute.com.
I was taught to grasp the curet with a relaxed, curved index finger, but this position makes it difficult to scale with much force. Which type of grasp do you recommend for the scaling of tenacious calculus?
Anna M. Pattison, RDH, MS, provides a broad-based look at ultrasonic instrumentation as well as a brief discussion of new products in the ultrasonic armamentarium.
Esther M. Wilkins, RDH, DMD, broke her leg on October 6. She had finished lecturing earlier that day for the South Carolina Dental Hygienists' Association in Columbia, SC.
Developments in instrument design and materials have furthered the dental hygienist’s ability to scale tenacious calculus in deep pockets and furcations.