The Do’s and Don’ts of Dental Handpieces
(1) Check the water supply and air outlet of the handpiece line. The water quality is clean. There is no rust stain, no foreign matter, and the compressed air is dry and clean. It is the two prerequisites for the normal use of the dental handpieces.
(2) Try to avoid using the same pipeline for dental handpieces and hand-held sand blasting machines to prevent residual sand particles from entering the handpiece and damaging the bearings.
(3) Adjust the appropriate air pressure. Generally, the working pressure of high speed handpieces is 0.20~0.25 MPa, and the working pressure of low speed handpieces is 0.25~0.30 MPa. Different brands of handpieces have different needs, which need to be adjusted according to actual conditions.
(4) The dental handpiece must use a regular standard bur. When the bur or standard bar is not clamped, do not spin the handpiece, which will cause damage to the three-leaf spring and the back cover.
(5) Dental handpieces have different functions, such as mini, contra-angle, and large-torque handpieces. Appropriate handpieces should be selected according to different oral clinical treatments.
(6) Do not overload the dental handpiece. Overheating and excessive oral tissue debris will accelerate its loss. If the handpiece is abnormal during use, stop using it immediately.
(7) After the use of the handpiece or before sending it for repair, it must be cleaned, lubricated and disinfected (the order cannot be reversed or omitted) to avoid cross-infection, and the disinfection temperature is not higher than 135 °C.
(8) It is forbidden to soak the handpiece in a corrosive disinfectant. The quick-change joint of the handpiece generally does not need to be autoclaved and disinfected with medical ethanol.
