5 Tips to Extend the Life of Dental Electric Handpiece

A contra-angle handpiece has to be one of the most important tools in your dental practice. After all, this pure titanium device effectively makes your work ten times easier. It provides you with great visibility, and easy access to hard-to-reach places like Molars, thus bringing more precision to your work.

 

 

However, this electric handpiece is an expensive device and requires reasonable maintenance, wether it's made by Kavo, NSK, Bien Air, Dentsply Sirona, Star, Brasseler or Midwest Dental. Failure in providing proper care to a contra-angle handpiece can result not only in unnecessary expenditure but also health risks.

 

So, if you want your contra-angle handpiece last longer, you need to put in the work for their care and maintenance. Now, you may wonder where you’re going to get that kind of time in your fast-paced dental practice. Well, caring for your dental piece can be easier than you think, especially if you have tips to extend the life of dental electric handpieces at your hand.

 

Tips to Extend the Life of Contra Angle Handpiece

 

There are some things that you can do to extend the life of your contra-angle handpiece. Two of the most basic and necessary things are proper cleaning and lubrication. If you want to know about these maintenance tips in detail, make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post.

 

1. Cleaning

 

Cleaning has to be the most basic yet important thing when it comes to extending the life of your contra-angle handpiece. Yet, plenty of times, dental practitioners do not get the cleaning procedure right.

 

If you too are unsure of the right method of cleaning your contra-angle handpiece, the below-mentioned steps will help. But, before you start following them, wear protective gloves and a mask to ensure safety.

• Detach the bur from the contra-angle handpiece.
• With the help of a cleaning wipe, clean the exterior surface of your handpiece.
• Use the handpiece for a minimum of 20 seconds to get rid of the fluids inside.
• Then, detach the handpiece as well.
• Now, wash the detached handpiece and the irrigation under running water. The water should be less than or equal to 38° C. Do not immerse the handpiece in water or any other cleaning solution for that matter.
• Take a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean the exterior of the handpiece.
• Then, clean the area around the bur insertion hole. You may use an interdental brush for this.
• Check the handpiece for blood or any other debris. If you find anything, repeat the steps until you get rid of them.
• After you’re done cleaning, wipe the exterior of the handpiece using a clean cloth

 

Now your handpiece is ready to go into the autoclace for steriliztion.

 

2. Lubrication

 

Apart from cleaning your contra-angle handpiece, you also need to lubricate it regularly. Proper lubrication is the key to securing the longevity and optimal performance of your contra-angle handpiece. So, you not only have to pay attention to the kind of lube you’re using for your handpiece but also how you’re lubricating it. For the first part, you can use a food-grade synthetic handpiece lubricant.

 

For the second part, if you’re unsure of how to correctly lubricate your contra-angle handpiece, these tips/ steps can help:

 

• Start with lubricating the chuck. Quite often, lubrication of chuck is overlooked, but this part requires care too.
• Then, hold the head of the handpiece with a cloth and lubricate the rear part of it. You have to keep spraying the lubricant until oil starts coming out of the other end.
• If you see any debris along with the oil, repeat the process until the expelled lubricant is visually clear.
• After you’re done lubricating your handpiece, operate it for at least 10-20 seconds. This way, you will be able to expel any extra lube.

 

Also, even though lubrication is important, overdoing it can be counter-productive; it can make the motor of an electric handpiece sluggish.

 

3. Manufacturer’s Manual

 

When in doubt, DIY-ing the way around your contra-angle handpiece can seem like a tempting option. However, you must resist the urge to do so, and stick to the manufacturer's manual. Most manufacturers issue detailed guidelines on how to best use and clean their products. And the safest option to not only ensure your handpiece’s longevity but also prevent accidental harm is to stick by what the manual says.

 

4. Proper Pressure Level

 

Air pressure can seem like a minute, insignificant thing on the surface. But, in all actuality pressure levels play a crucial role when in ensuring the longevity of an electric handpiece. The amount of pressure you can safely vary according to the brand of your contra-angle handpiece. If you’re unsure of what the correct level is, you should reach out to the manufacturer for answers or refer to the manual given along with the handpiece.

 

Exceeding the appropriate pressure levels can result in premature wearing out of the pieces or worse, turbine failure.

 

5. Burs

 

A Bur is an important part of your contra-angle handpiece. Any damage to this little part can effectively ruin your entire handpiece. So, you need to pay attention to how you handle the bur. For example, applying more pressure than is appropriate can damage the bur. If you continue using this damaged bur, not only will it affect the quality of your procedure, but also deteriorate the quality of other inner components of your handpiece. This will indirectly result in a reduced life of your handpiece.

 

Apart from this, using unclean bur can create deposits in the chuck which will then lead to restricted motion of the handpiece. After cleaning, the bur should be completely inserted in the head of the headpiece. Not doing so can result in the breakage of this part.

 

Wrapping Up

 

So, these were some tips to extend the life of dental electric handpieces. If you make sure to follow the above-mentioned cleaning and lubricating methods, your contra-angle handpiece will likely provide you with better performance and longer life.

 

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