Posted by
biancoaod on Friday, September 19, 2008 5:23:47 AM
A
dental handpiece
(also known as
dental
drill) is a precision-built mechanical device used in dental
treatment to removes decayed tooth material prior to the insertion of a dental
filling.
Dental handpieces can be classified
according to the revolutions per minute (rpm) or speed at which they operate.
One type is the low- or slow-speed, and the other is referred to as the
high-speed contra-angle. Both the low- and
high-speed
dental handpieces use an air system to operate several parts of the
handpiece. The main function of the air is to rotate the air turbine or vane
drive. Basically, this means the air system is the main power source for these
handpieces.
Modern dental handpieces can rotate at up
to 800,000 rpm, and generally use hard metal alloy bits (actually small rotary
files) known as 'burs'. Dental burs come in a great variety of shapes designed
for specific applications. They are often made of steel with a tungsten carbide
coating, or of tungsten carbide entirely. The bur may also have a diamond
coating.