Specialty Handpieces: Don’t Overlook Proper Maintenance

IN RECENT YEARS, MANY GENERAL DENTISTS AND DENTAL SPECIALISTS HAVE ADOPTED NEW TECHNOLOGY AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF HANDPIECES TO HELP GROW THEIR PRACTICE AND BETTER SERVE THEIRPATIENTS.

In addition to specialists using new tools to improve their dentistry and patient care, general dentists are increasingly bringing endodontic and implant procedures into their practices.

MAINTENANCE TIPS

Specialty handpieces require special maintenance. For example, blood and other biofluids on 20:1 implant handpieces can cause excessive corrosion if not properly cleaned. Pretreating handpieces is the first and most important step to maintenance. If you are not going to clean and sterilize immediately after use, you must use an effective pre cleaning treatment such as Hayes Triple Enzyme Foam Cleaner to keep blood and fluids from drying on the handpiece. Never use solvents or other chemicals to clean handpieces.

The use of such products may cause the handpiece to malfunction. Once you move into the world of specialty handpieces, it is a good time to look into purchasing a maintenance machine. This equipment makes it easier to precisely clean and lubricates handpieces, accessories, all kinds of dental burs, or any attachments.

BACK-UP HANDPIECES

With any dental procedures, it is crucial to have extra handpieces on hand, and this is particularly important with endodontic, implant, and surgical procedures. Hayes recommends that you have a complete system or at least a secondary handpiece available for use as a backup if you have a handpiece or motor failure during a procedure. When performing endodontic procedures, it’s imperative to have—at the very least—one extra endodontic handpiece sterilized and ready to use. This prevents you from having to finish the procedure painstakingly by hand should a handpiece malfunction.