TIPisode “The Jacks” with Dr. Joy D. Void-Holmes, RDH

This week on A Tale of Two Hygienists TIPisode we are joined by Dr. Joy D. Void-Holmes, RDH, BSDH, MHSc, AADH to discuss “The Jacks”. Dr. Joy D. Void-Holmes, RDH, BSDH, MHSc, AADH is the founder Dr. Joy, RDH and the creator of the Dental Hygiene Student Planner.

“If you are a practicing clinician, chances are you have a Jack in your life.”

“The Jacks I will be talking about today are sickle scalers.”

“A portion of the anatomical crown is below the gingival margin in a healthy mouth, typically 1-2mm, more in a patient with gingival inflammation.”

“The use sickle scalers should be avoided on root surfaces, to prevent unintended gouging.”

“Many clinicians use these beauties improperly causing damage they cannot see.”

This TIPisode has been transcribed for your viewing pleasure:

Michelle Strange: A Tale of Two Hygienists presents this week’s TIPisode: quick and easy tips to keep you up to date and presented by the experts in the profession. Now, get ready for your unofficial TIPisode.

Dr. Joy D. Void-Holmes: Hello, everyone. My name is Dr. Joy D. Void-Holmes, affectionately known as Dr. Joy. I am excited to talk to you about a topic very near and dear to me, and that is instrumentation. Specifically, I want to talk to you about the Jacks. Now, you may be asking yourself “What are the Jacks? And what do they have to do with instrumentation?”

The Jacks I will be talking about today are sickle scalers. Before I get started talking about the Jacks, I want to do a quick review of the basic design features of sickle scalers. Sickle scalers are periodontal instruments designed to remove primarily hard deposits like calculus from the anatomical crowns of teeth. I specifically said “anatomical crown” because a portion of the anatomical crown is below the gingival margin in a healthy mouth, typically one to two millimeters, more in a patient with gingival inflammation. 

Sickle scalers have two cutting edges, they have a pointed tip, and they are triangular in cross section. Because of this triangular shape, the use of sickle scalers should be avoided on the root surfaces to prevent unintended gouging. 

There are all types of sickles. Some of the more commonly used sickle designs are the H5/33, which is an anterior instrument. This instrument has a sickle shape on one end and a Jacquette on the other. There’s also the 204S, which is a posterior sickle scaler. The M23, which is a posterior sickle scaler. However, this one has a larger working end. You also have the Nevi 4, which is exclusive to Hu-Friedy. All of the instruments I just mentioned, the 204S, the M23, and the Nevi 4 can be used in the anterior and the posterior regions of the mouth. 

I now want to take this opportunity to talk about the Jacks. The Montana Jack, the Blackjack, and the Sharp Jack. All three are sickle scalers and similar in shape to the Nevi 4. So what are the differences? Well, outside of who manufactures them, the working ends are different as well as the shank designs and the metals used to manufacture them. 

The Montana Jack is manufactured by PDT. It is designed with a lightweight resin handle and a high-grade steel. The Blackjack is manufactured by American Eagle. It is also designed with a lightweight resin handle and can be purchased in a stainless steel or sharpen-free version. The working end of the Blackjack that is coated with titanium nitrate is called a sharpen-free instrument, meaning it never has to be sharpened. The last of the Jacks is the SharpJack. The SharpJack is manufactured by LM-Instruments and has a very unique handle design, which has been highly rated for improved ergonomics and reduced hand fatigue. This unique handle design is called ErgoSense, and it is made with a special medical-grade silicone. The SharpJack also has a special diamond-coated working end rendering this instrument sharpen free as well. 

Sickles are fascinating and should be used as intended. However, many clinicians use these beauties improperly causing damage they actually cannot see. If you are a practicing clinician, chances are you have a Jack in your life. 

Thank you for joining me, and stay tuned for more instrumentation tips with me, Dr. Joy. Until next time. 

 Michelle Strange: We hope you enjoyed this week’s TIPisode. Be sure to reach out to our guest experts and let them know how helpful their tips were. Follow A Tale of Two Hygienists on Facebook, Instagram, and head over to ataleoftwohygienists.com and subscribe to our newsletter. You can also email us at ataleoftwohygienists@gmail.com, and keep listening for more awesome content from your unofficial dental hygiene podcast.