Most dental practices have anywhere from 8 to 12 working handpieces that get rotated throughput the practice on a daily and weekly basis. But we all have our “favorites” and tend to use them more often than others, because it’s human nature to use what we are most comfortable with. If you tend to use your “favorite” handpieces at higher RPM’s than what is suggested by the manufacturer, and ignore the daily and weekly maintenance, then those handpieces will need to be repaired more often.

Since a high speed handpiece drill runs at 400,000 to 500,000 RPI’s, and is sterilized at 275 degrees after each use, its parts tend to wear out. The turbine is the only moving part in an air-driven handpiece, and takes the most abuse during sterilization, so it needs to be replaced frequently.

Care and regular maintenance of these instruments is essential to preserving their lifespan and proper function. Whether your dental practice uses air driven handpieces, electric handpieces, or both, these little instruments are the workhorse of your practice and a large investment.

Effective and Efficient Patient Treatment: If the turbine is the brains of the handpiece, then the tiny little bearings are the heart. When the bearings start to wear down, the turbine no longer rotates at optimal performance, causing it to fail and eventually stop holding the bur in place during a procedure. When the bearings start to fail, the handpiece makes a loud high pitch sound or vibration. Avoiding the warning signs of an inferior performing handpiece has a number of pitfalls, including loss of patient treatment.

Patients Satisfaction: Dental handpieces are the number one tool in any successful dental practice, allowing for a high degree of productivity that patients appreciate today. The history of dental handpieces have drastically evolved over the last 150 years. Early handpieces were big and clunky, running at a maximum speed of 3000 rpm’s, which meant procedures took longer and were more painful. Today, handpieces run at a much higher speed and with more efficiency.

Protecting your Investment: Protecting your investment and ensuring your dental handpieces are working to the best of their abilities is essential to running a profitable dental practice. Building a working relationship with a reputable dental handpiece repair company will ensure you are working more effectively and providing quality patient care without worrying about the performance of the handpiece.