Dental picks

[Phil Mueller]

Kind of an odd post but...

I asked my hygenist during my last visit what they do with used dental picks. Apparently they are sterilized and reused until they become dull and then they just recycle them. She said she had a drawer full waiting to be recycled. I asked if I could have a couple and she was happy to give me two (as long as I promised not to start using them on my teeth ). She said they are about $40 each new.

The tips are sharp, yes, but they are actually edge tools with a sharp bevel on the side for scraping.

I have found them extremely usefull, especially in restoration work getting grunge out of small places or scraping small paint drips or rust spots (which seem to be always present in old tools).

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Just FYI, in case you're interested...

[Prashun Patel]

Also useful for cleaning plaque build up from (saw) teeth.

Groans welcome.

[george wilson]

Ever tried PULLING old, decayed saw teeth?

P.S.: In the 18th. C.,they called molars "double teeth". But,on a saw,those are found only up near the saw handle.

[Bruce Haugen]

The last visit to the dentist, I was sent home with more than a dozen picks and other tools. They have so many they don't know what to do with the them, yes, they are very useful.

[Mike Henderson]

I have some I got from my hygienist. She told me that they send them back for recycling the metal but don't get much for them. She was happy to give them to me - happy that they'd be useful to someone else.

Mike

[I think they call them "scalers" - not sure.]

[Frederick Skelly]

I use them when restoring metal hand planes. Get into all the nooks and crannies.

[Charles Bjorgen]

I still have a couple dental picks that I got from a dentist maybe 30 years ago. This thread reminds me to ask my current hygienist after my next appointment.

[Kurtis Johnson]

I just bought a set last week for $14 supposedly stainless steel. Anyone know if I'll be dissapointed with cheap new dental picks?

[Dave Lehnert]

I have this set ,in my tool box at work, I picked up at Harbor Freight for around $4.00. Have to be careful using them because they are so sharp. item#42159

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[Stanley Covington]

A woodcarver showed me a way to use them. Sharpen the flat-ended ones into a small, square chisel point. Right and left handed. Perfect for cleaning out undercut relief carvings since they can get into the tightest corners.

[Matt Lau]

I just bought a set last week for $14 supposedly stainless steel. Anyone know if I'll be dissapointed with cheap new dental picks?

Depends. The Pakistani stuff is mostly crap, and won't hold an edge.
I like German or American stuff.

At my dental office, I mostly prefer Harzell and Sons (made in Concord, California) or Hu-Friedy (Switzerland).
The Hu-Friedy stuff is not as good quality-wise as it used to be about 10 years ago, as I feel some of the machining isn't that great.
Recently, I've been impressed with PDT scalers--cryogenically treated stainless steel in glass fiber handles.

If I knew there was a demand for the used picks, I'd happily send some of mine over for the cost of postage and a beer.
Sadly, I've already sent most of mine to MIMF for a fundraiser.

-Matt

[Matt Lau]

A woodcarver showed me a way to use them. Sharpen the flat-ended ones into a small, square chisel point. Right and left handed. Perfect for cleaning out undercut relief carvings since they can get into the tightest corners.

Just for reference, the official term for those are "chisels."
We used those mainly for onlay preperations and silver fillings.
There are also "hoes"--flat, but oriented the other way.

I can't tell you how ridiculously giddy I was to see something called a chisel in dental school.

-Matt

ps. FWIW, if you're getting used ones off Ebay, I'd recommend looking for Hartzell, HuFriedy, Salvin (not sure if they make them) or other German sounding ones.
The older ones will be carbon steel-- will rust (thus, I don't use them on patients) , but will hold an edge well.

[Mike Kreinhop]

Strange...I have a vision of Paul Sellers looking at the camera and asking "Is it safe?"