This is a photo of an explorer. This instrument (along with a mouth mirror) is the instrument that a dentist and hygienist use on probably every patient.
Photo ©Tammy Davenport
An explorer is NOT used to poke your gums. The dentist and hygienist use an explorer to feel your teeth, to see if there are any sticky spots that could be decay, check to see if fillings are leaking, count teeth and check the margins of crowns.