Dental handpieces

You may be wondering what type of equipment your dentist uses when he/she works on your tooth.  The "drill" is actually called a hand piece, and there are two types of "drills" or dental handpieces your dentist typically uses, the high speed and the low speed.

The high speed handpiece is controlled by a sensitive amount of air pressure placed on the foot control.  The maximum speed of the high speed handpiece is 350,000 rpm and requires 32 psi of air.

The high speed is typically used for:

•  Initial cavity removal and preparation
•  Preparation of a tooth for a crown.  
•  It also used sometimes during a surgical preparation for a tooth during a surgical extraction.

The low speed handpiece is used for other operations, and has a speed range of 0 to 8,000 rpm and requires 40 pis of air.  The actual speed is also controlled by pressure on the foot control.  Unlike the high speed, the low speed handpiece can change direction of rotation (forward and reverse).  Such uses of the low speed include:

• Cavity refinement/removal
• Removal of decay
• Finishing and polishing of an amalgam and resin restoration
• Drilling pins and posts to assist in retention of a large filling
• Prophylaxis (dental cleaning)
• Laboratory grinding, finishing, and polishing

If you have any questions on the dental handpiece, be sure to ask your family or cosmetic dentist.

From your dentist in Bellevue,
Dr. Peter Chien
www.bellevuefamilydentistry.com
(425) 614-1600