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The Most Common Mistakes Made with Dental Handpieces

In some instances, these mistakes may prove to be exceptionally costly. In this brief guide, we will outline these mistakes. By ensuring that you do not engage in these activities, you are ensuring that you are running a cost-effective facility.

Hughes Dental specializes in dental handpiece repair and maintenance. Instead of doing it yourself and running the chance of incurring expenses, simply leave it to us! Immediately following the list, you will find our contact information.

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Should you find yourself in need of basic maintenance or have a repair-related issue, we will be more than happy to assist you! The following outlines the most common dental handpiece mistakes made by dental practitioners:

Dont Use Chemicals

Many dental practitioners will utilize a chemical-based wipe on their dental handpieces prior to engaging in the sterilization process. This is a redundant procedure that could lead to the development of potentially harmful reactions once the dental instrument is placed in a heated unit for sterilization. Do not wipe down your instruments with chemical wipes, if the surface needs to be cleaned, wipe them with 91% isopropyl alcohol on a gauze and simply sterilize them.

Avoid Cleaners

Many dental practitioners make the costly mistake of placing their dental handpieces in cleansing solution fluids or ultrasonic cleaners. This should be avoided.

Know Your Handpiece

It is common for lubrication for the dental handpiece to be placed in the wrong hole of the device. When observing the dental instrument, you should know that the drive-based airline is the line that goes directly to the device’s turbine unit. The water line and the exhaust line of the dental handpiece do not lead to the turbine. If you have any questions about how to properly lubricate your dental handpieces, you may contact us today for that information.

Avoid Too Much Lubricant

It is common for individuals to be instructed to avoid spraying too much lubricant into the dental handpiece. It is believed that this will lead to an excessive amount of residue accumulation within the device; however, it is necessary for the lubricant to reach the bearings. The most productive means of doing this is to make sure that enough lubricant is sprayed into the handpiece to reach the turbine, then run the handpiece for a few seconds to expel the excess lube.  By operating the dental handpiece after lubrication, you are preventing the accumulation of excess oil buildup that could detrimentally impact the functionality and performance of your handpieces. If you do not know which whole to spray the lube please follow this guide.

Keep it Cool

Many practitioners will autoclave their dental handpieces and then immediately use them again while hot. In all instances, the instrument should be allowed to cool completely before use.  Using a hot handpiece or force cooling them underwater will damage the turbine.  If you find yourself using hot handpieces, it is more practical and less expensive in the long run to add a sufficient number of handpieces to always use a cool handpiece.

There are a large number of mistakes that are commonly made when it comes to caring for dental handpieces. The mistakes outlined in this brief guide are among the most common. If you need help maintaining your handpiece, ship your handpiece to us, and we can service or repair it quickly.

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