Four Ways to Extend the Life of Your Dental Handpieces

One of the most common questions we hear from dental practices is “what is the best way to maintain a handpiece?” After 25+ years of specializing in dental handpiece repair, we have definitely learned the importance of proper maintenance. When done properly, regular maintenance can extend the life of your dental handpieces and ultimately save your practice a lot of money.

Here are 4 ways that you can extend the life of your dental handpieces:

1. Never run your dental handpieces higher than 33 PSI (or the manufacturers recommended settings). Excessive air pressure (exceeding 40 PSI) could cause damage to the turbine bearings, reducing the performance of the turbine.

2. Sterilizing your handpiece should always be done with the Bur removed.  Leaving the Bur in while sterilizing will cause corrosion.  Additionally, never exceed 275 degrees during the sterilization process. Subjecting bearings to higher temperatures can cause materials to break down and crack. Never cool your sterilized handpiece under running water, this action will compromise the turbine allowing them to prematurely crack.

3. Debris is  introduced into the handpiece through dirty air and water every time air pressure is released. The best way to remove debris is to flush the handpiece between patients using a handpiece cleaner and lubricant (ofter an adapter is required).  Blow out the handpiece using compressed air to remove any loose debris, cleaner, and lubricant before sterilization.

4. Push button spindles are made of metal components and require small amounts of lubricant and periodic flushing to extend the handpiece life spam.  Spray handpiece cleaner and lubricant up into the front of the spindle. Doing this will help remove debris from within the spindle assembly, which will prevent the spindle sticking open and failing.

We’d love to partner with you to help repair and extend the life of your dental handpieces. New customers save $50 on the first dental handpiece repair order! Just check “New Customer” on our contact form.