Dental hygiene schools have taught students to use sickle scalers to removal large, tenacious calculus deposits above the gingival margin. However, many hygienists who have experience use the same instrument to remove calculus subgingivally as well. No one admits it, but at a recent seminar, Anna Pattison, RDH, MS asked her audience of hygienists how many have actually used the sickles in this way, and 90% responded yes.
Experience has taught many hygienists that in keeping the blade of the sickle scaler adapted to the tooth, remembering tooth morphology, and using care with the sharp point, they can be very efficient at removing heavy calculus, leaving the finishing to curettes. The blade angle is more open than a curette at 80% to 90%, and assists in removing calculus in chunks. When Universal or Gracey curettes are used, they tend to burnish calculus if the angle of use is too closed. Recently, new posterior sickle instruments have been designed that are becoming popular in the United States and Canada. The Montana Jack posterior scaler was introduced in 2001, and a new version called the Rigid Montana Jack has larger shanks and narrow blades. The Hartzell Mj, a curved, posterior sickle with a large hollow handle, can be used on moderate to heavy subgingival calculus. American Eagle manufactures the Eagle Claw in XP steel, which doesn’t need sharpening.
Hu-Friedy has introduced the Nevi 3 and Nevi 4, following up on the success of its Nevi 1 and Nevi 2, introduced in 2001. More choices and increasing designs are making sickle scalers more popular. However, definitive instrumentation demands use of the curette in the final stages.
(Source: Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, September 2008)
