Dental treatments are pricey, and so are their repairs. However, there is no need to replace the oral surgery instruments if you maintain them regularly. You can get the assistance of a technician or an experienced dental practitioner to uphold the dental surgical instruments.
Do you know why there is a need for frequent maintenance of dental surgical tools? It ensures operational reliability and the best results while performing any dental surgery. Among all the dental surgery instruments, handpieces are the crucial ones. After recurrent usage, the handpieces require the proper maintenance for performing impeccably in everyday operations.
Here we will study some simple yet beneficial tips for maintaining dental handpieces for a relatively longer duration.
1. Surface Cleaning
The handpiece requires flushing to make the functioning interruption-free. Besides, the water should be flushed for thirty seconds to eradicate the toxic elements in it. Plus, the surface cleaning includes the external cleaning from the handpiece that includes biological debris.
2. Drying
Drying is an essential step after surface cleaning of any surgical instrument for handpiece's high maintenance.
3. Lubrication
The lubrication is possible by spraying oil directly from the airline by omitting it from the top of the handpiece. In this way, the whole handpiece will be sterilized and lubricated from the internal bearings. Nonetheless, it is essential to utilize the pressurized air for the maximum lubrication of the handpiece. Without pressurized air, there would not be any impact on the bearings.
4. Run The Handpiece
After doing the lubrication, you need to properly run the handpiece to distribute the bearings and chuck mechanism. Moreover, the handpiece will eject the excess oil to eliminate one step in the autoclavation.
5. Fiber Optics
Another essential step involves maintaining fiber optics that require a Q-tip and a little amount of alcohol. It will remove the debris, dirt, and oil present in the fiber optics surface. Consequently, there would not be any build-up of debris on the surface. As well, the discoloration issue will be resolved in this way.
6. Bagging
Next, you have to bag up your dental handpiece to maintain the whole sterility process. Choose the right bags that are manufactured only for keeping the handpieces.
7. Sterilization
Lastly, you have to maintain the dental handpieces by sterilizing them. To complete this step, you have to go through the guidelines of the handpiece's manufacturer. After implementing the whole process, ensure that the tool is completely dry.
Other Money-Saving Tips For The Handpieces Upkeep
👉 Install a small compressor in your dental clinic so the handpiece can be dried off completely anytime.
👉 The quality of the cutters should be good to prevent manufacturing tolerance. However, the poor-quality cutters will wear out in a short span.
👉 It is essential to abandon the worn burs. The worn-out burs will require more pressure and less precision while cutting. Possibly, you have to reduce the risk of clutching by removing the heavily worn-out burs.
👉 Do not change the push button if the instrument is revolving to prevent excessive wear.
FAQ's
Is It Necessary To Remove The Turbine For Cleaning The Inner Side Of The Handpiece's Head?
Yes, it is crucial to remove the turbine to clean the internal area of the handpiece's head. After some running time, debris sticks inside the housing that needs to be cleaned with alcohol and a cotton swab.
How Often Do You Clean The Turbine Chuck?
There are chances of the bur sticking if you do not clean the turbine chuck. Thus, it is crucial to clean the chuck weekly for the right functioning. Further, you can use a small size interproximal brush having little alcohol on it. Put the brush into the tube of bur for rotating it. You may repeat the rotations many times until the brush comes out without any mark of dirt.
How Much Time Is Required For The Complete Autoclaving Cycle?
You should not rush no matter how much time one cycle takes for autoclaving. However, the handpiece which is left uncool can have premature failure. Besides that, you should have additional handpieces in your clinic if you often need them. We suggest you have at least three handpieces, so no time wasted. The handpiece will also be ready to use even if the other one is under the sterilization process.