Dental Ultrasonic Scalers: How to Choose.

An ultrasonic scaler is the unit the hygienist uses at the chair. It is not the tank in the sterilization room, and it is not a hand sickle. The ultrasonic cleaner guide is the tank. The hand scaler guide is the sickle and the curette. This page is the powered scaler: magnetostrictive or piezoelectric, and the inserts that only fit one of those.

How to choose an ultrasonic scaler

• Magnetostrictive or piezo. A magnetostrictive insert is a metal stack that slides into the handpiece. A piezo tip screws on. Cavitron is the magnetostrictive unit most U.S. offices already own. Acteon, EMS, and NSK are piezo. The inserts do not cross between those two designs.
• The inserts are the purchase. A new generator with a new tip inventory is two costs. If the hygienists already have a drawer of Cavitron inserts, a piezo unit does not use them. If they want screw-on tips, a Cavitron will not take them.
• Water. Both designs need a waterline to the unit. A dry tip heats the tooth and burns the insert. The quote has to include the water connection, not only the box.
• Who holds it all day. Weight, the cord, and the foot control are the hygienist’s problem. Have that person use the handpiece before you sign. A unit the hygienist will not pick up is a hand-scaler practice with an expensive countertop.
• Air polishing is a different mode. Some magnetostrictive units add a powder jet. That is stain removal, not a substitute for the scaling insert, and the powder is its own supply.

How common scaler lines differ

Treat the table as product differences, not a score. The insert in the drawer decides which column you are in.

Line	Type	Best fit	Watch for
Dentsply Cavitron	Magnetostrictive. Inserts slide in	Offices that already own Cavitron inserts and want the unit hygienists know	A 30K-style insert is still a Cavitron insert. It does not fit a piezo handpiece
Acteon Newtron	Piezoelectric. Tips screw on	Offices choosing a piezo unit and Acteon’s tip set	Tips are Acteon’s. A Cavitron stack will not thread onto this handpiece
EMS Piezon	Piezoelectric, with its own tip system	Offices that want the EMS tip library, including implant tips	Confirm the tip is cleared for the surface you are cleaning. An implant tip is not a heavy calculus tip
NSK Varios	Piezoelectric units sold through many U.S. dealers	Offices comparing a piezo unit with Acteon or EMS on weight and tip price	NSK tips are not EMS tips. The brand on the generator has to match the brand on the tip

Dentsply Cavitron

Cavitron is the magnetostrictive scaler most U.S. hygiene rooms already use. The insert slides into the handpiece, and the insert series has to match that generator. Offices stay with Cavitron so the drawer of inserts still works. A Jet model adds air polishing. Buy the jet only if you will use the powder. Scaling still uses the insert, the water, and the power the hygienist sets.

Acteon

Newtron is Acteon’s piezoelectric scaler. The tip screws on, and the motion is the piezo pattern rather than the stack in a Cavitron insert. Compare it when the hygienist wants that handpiece, not when you are trying to keep using Cavitron inserts. The tip set is part of the quote. A unit with one tip in the box is not a working drawer.

EMS

Piezon is EMS’s piezoelectric line. Labs and perio offices look at it for the range of tips, including tips meant for implant surfaces. The tip has to be the one EMS clears for that surface. A heavy-calculus tip on an implant abutment is the wrong tip, even on the right generator. Water and power still come from the unit.

NSK

Varios is the NSK piezo unit dealers put next to Acteon and EMS. The comparison that matters is the handpiece the hygienist will hold and the price of the tips you will replace, not a brochure claim that one brand is quieter. NSK tips fit NSK. They are not a backup for an EMS handpiece that failed on a Friday.

Related guides

• Handpieces and instruments
• Hand scalers
• Ultrasonic cleaners
• Air and electric handpieces

Scaler questions

Can Cavitron inserts go in a piezo scaler?

No. Magnetostrictive inserts slide into a Cavitron-style handpiece. Piezo tips screw onto a piezo handpiece. Buying the other generator means buying the other tips.

Is the sterilization-room ultrasonic the same machine?

No. That tank cleans instruments before they are sterilized. It does not scale teeth. The chairside unit is this page.