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Sonic scalers remove calculus from the surface
of the tooth. These units are attached to an
outlet yoke of an air driven dental unit.
How It Works
Sonic scalers work at an air pressure of 32-45 psi. The tip vibrates
in the 1.50-6.3 kHz range. At best, they can provide one third of
the power available to the ultrasonic tip - many porovide much less
than this.
Advantages
- They create less heat at the scaling tip than an ultrasonic
machine. This reduces the risk of iatrogenic tooth damage - particularly
for inexperienced personnel.
- They avoid the need to purchase a separate ultrasonic scaler
unit.
Disadvantages
- They are extremely slow, relative to ultrasonic machines, with
a low range of vibration and high tip amplitude. This hardly ever
leads to cavitation of the water jet.
- They are noisy during use.
- They are erroneously thought to be cheap to buy. A basic sonic
scaler costs around £250 and a good one around £500. (e.g. Titan
S). Compare this with a good quality ultrasonic unit at around
£400.
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