For an expenditure of $7,500 to $20,000 several functional portable dental units are available, with capabilities to provide a potentially wide spectrum of dental procedures. These units typically have a variety of options (photos of equipment are shown in the links):

• High- and low-speed handpiece capability (rotary dental drills used for preparing teeth for fillings)
• High- and low-speed suction capability (a vacuum that removes saliva, tooth remnants and blood from the mouth)
• Built in compressor systems (provides compressed air used to drive handpiece turbines and water/air syringes)
• X-ray view boxes (a lighted box to view radiographs)
• Three-way water and air syringes (a device that provides a spray of water and/or air to the hard and soft tissues in the mouth)
• Overhead movable light (provides illumination of the mouth)
• Variable foot control. (foot pedal that when touched will activate the handpieces).

Additional options may include:

• Ultrasonic scalers (a vibrating dental instrument used to remove heavy calcified deposits from tooth surfaces)
• Handpiece and examination fiber optics (a miniaturized light source attached directly to the dental instruments)
• Light curing units (an ultraviolet light used to cure some types of dental sealants or fillings.)
• Amalgamators (a mechanical device used to mix together the ingredients of dental fillings)
• Lathes (a spinning device used to cut and polish various dental materials)
• Portable dark rooms (a small device that contains chemicals needed to develop x-rays)

Important accessory items are also available:

• Portable dental chairs
• Wheelchair head rests
• Portable dental x-ray equipment.
• Headlamp

Costs for individual items can be found on the manufacturers’ Web site or through discount dental suppliers. Proceed to the next page for a list of some of these Web sites.