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Dental mirror

Dentists commonly use a small mirror mounted on the end of a handle, sometimes referred to as a stomatoscope, as a tool to see in the patient's mouth when performing dental work in areas of the mouth not visible from the exterior. Dental mirrors have long been used to assist dental practitioners in performing diagnostic and treatment procedures. The stereotypical dental mirror has a handle with a small mirror affixed at an angle on the end of the handle so that it can be inserted into the patient's mouth for viewing inside the patient's mouth. The oral cavity is an extremely difficult area in which to work. Vision and access are impaired by the lips, cheek, tongue, and the patient's ability to open the mouth. Restorative care must be accomplished with extreme care as to not injure the soft tissue structures. To achieve this, retraction of such tissues will be necessary. The devices that are available and which can be used by the dental team are the dental mirror, rubber dam, cotton holders, retraction, suction lines and bite blocks. The dental mirror is the most frequently used of the above devices. A dental mirror serves the obvious purpose of providing the dentist or dental technician with a visual image of a localized area within the mouth of a patient under examination. A mirror is required to view and inspect posteria teeth and surrounding gingival tissue. The dental mirror is also used to keep the field of operation under observation during most dental operatory procedures. Dental mirrors typically consist of a handle having a head at one end thereof. A small mirror is mounted to the head of the dental instrument. Dental healthcare professionals utilize the dental mirrors when performing dental applications and treatments, such as teeth-cleaning processes, by placing the head of the dental mirror (and thus the mirror) into the mouth of the patient, thereby permitting the dental professional to view portions of the patient's mouth, teeth, and/or gums that would otherwise be visually inaccessible.

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