Extending the life of your handpieces
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 6th February 2022
It goes without saying that the handpieces you use in practice are one of the most important parts of your armamentarium. After all, without high-quality handpieces it is much more difficult to provide an exceptional standard of care.
But have you considered the lifetime of these essential pieces of equipment and how maintenance can make a difference moving forward? Correct handpiece operation and maintenance are just as important as the original investment, and looking after your equipment can benefit you, your practice and your patients in many ways.
Why is handpiece maintenance so important?
Regular maintenance of your handpieces can help extend their life, ensure that they are performing correctly and help save you money in the long run as regular attention should minimise the chance of handpieces malfunctioning.
Regardless, handpiece maintenance is not always as straightforward as you would imagine, so it’s a good idea to think more carefully about how you’re approaching the task and consider if you can make any changes to your processes to help your handpieces perform better.
Manufacturers know best
There are a huge variety of handpiece ranges on the market, and each of these will have unique functionality, features and inner workings. As such, it’s important to follow the specifications outlined in the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to both operation and maintenance.
Air pressure, for example, is one area where professionals can go wrong. Higher air pressure isn’t synonymous with better performance, and using pressure that isn’t designed for the handpiece you’re operating can cause damage, even at low speeds. Be sure to check the handpiece manual and make sure that you are using the correct operational settings for your handpiece.
Assistina Twin 4
Only manufacturer recommended products should be used during handpiece maintenance, as using others may void your warranty and result in expensive replacement, should they cause damage or compromise the life of the handpiece.
General tips
The way you utilise your handpiece in practice can also have an impact on its longevity. For example, pressing too hard during operation may put excess stress on the mechanisms, which could, in turn, result in malfunction further down the line.
Handpiece lubrication is also an area to consider in detail. It’s generally recommended to lubricate handpieces before sterilisation – a good quality lubricant will not break down during the sterilisation process. Furthermore, you need to ensure that you don’t over lubricate handpieces, as this can lead to them becoming clogged and impact their performance. You may also want to consider a lubricant that includes cleaning properties to keep mechanisms in good working order – these can also save considerable time.
Don’t let maintenance become a burden
With so many aspects to consider, it’s easy to see how handpiece maintenance can fast become a time-consuming task. However, this doesn’t need to be the case.
The cutting-edge Assistina TWIN automatic handpiece maintenance device from W&H provides an exceptional, consistent standard of lubrication in just 10 seconds. Using a combination of pressurised air and unique oil nebulisation technology, the Assistina TWIN cleans and lubricates the internal mechanism simultaneously. Plus, it boasts a time-saving dual chamber system and a vast array of adaptors, meaning that you can process up to 360 handpieces per hour, ensuring that they are always ready when you need them.
Caring makes all the difference
As your handpieces are such an important part of your instrument selection, high quality care for these items really does make all the difference. These items are the foundation for the standard of care you provide, so keeping them in perfect working order is essential and allows you to protect your investment.
When you follow the manufacturer’s instructions, use handpieces responsibly and ensure that you really take care when maintaining them, the life span of these essential pieces is increased and you can continue to rely on optimal performance time and time again.
To find out more visit www.wh.com/en_uk, call 01727 874990 or email
