Problem/Solution: The Aging of Dental Handpieces

Dental handpieces are important tools in your arsenal. These days they play a huge role in most dental procedures, which means maintaining them properly is that much more important to ensure their longevity for as long as you can. But sometimes reality sets in and they just don’t get maintained as they should. That in and of itself can lead to problems that you don’t want. The longevity of your tools comes from proper care and maintenance. But fail to do that, and you’ll see issues with the care you provide as well as your businesses bottom line.

The Problem

As you’re using your handpieces, they seem to “age” faster than they should. Everywhere you look, it says your tool should last for a long period of time. But it stops working in only half that. Why?

Well, with the intricacies of a motorized dental handpiece, proper maintenance is severely important. The more intricate the device, the more intergral parts that need maintaining. Every motor and bearing needs to be equally maintained. This does not end with just properly deep cleaning for sanitation purposes, but also proper lubrication to keep any parts that are supposed to move, well, moving. Even if one of them is out of line, something can, and will go wrong. This ultimately can cause problems not just for the tools, but also the patients. 

Lack of Lubrication

Handpieces are complex instruments that rely on the smooth movement of many intricate parts. Lubrication helps reduce friction between these parts, which reduces wear over time. It even helps keep dirt and debris away from vulnerable moving parts. However, many dental professionals neglect this important step in the maintenance process of their equipment.

So many of the major parts that your tool requires to function use lubrication. Parts like the bearings, gears, o-rings, and even the air turbine. Each one with a severely important job. Without proper care and lubrication, however, they won’t work as they should. Making your dental handpieces age faster through wear. The signs of a lack of lubrication can be heard or felt very easily. Vibrations due to the friction of the dry parts. And the excessive, high-frequency noises that can do more damage than you realize. 

Lack of lubrication can decrease the power of your instruments. Making them severely less effective and wearing down the internal parts faster than normal. Certain parts inside are meant to last you over 10 months or more without replacement. But without proper maintenance, that time can be cut down severely. However, the problems that arise from this don’t just affect your tools. They can affect your patients, and even you. 

The Dangers of Low Maintenance

Handpieces consist of several components. Some parts are visible, while others are concealed within the tube. If these components are not properly maintained, problems can occur not only with your tools but also with your patients and even you. Roughly 36% of Americans fear visiting the dentist. But increasing that number to 40% is not a record you should want to set. They shouldn’t be given any reason to be afraid of their dentist; however, there are some things that can make this happen.

Handpieces can overheat and fail to function from improper maintenance practices. Overheating during a procedure on a patient can possibly burn them or even you. Faults in handpieces can also cause unwanted cuts and scratches that lead to infections and harm for patients. Or, the faults can cause the tools to emit intense, high frequency noises. Noises that can lead to hearing problems or hearing damage for practitioners. In fact, millions of practitioners a year suffer from hearing loss, tinnitus or other noise-induced hearing issues because of this.

But there is one thing to keep in mind with these issues, such as cuts and burns. The reason why they have the chance to become something worse after the fact, like infections, is that they will go largely unnoticed while a patient is numbed or under anesthesia. Leading to long-term problems from a completely avoidable situation. So if you’d like to make your tools last and not increase your patients’ risk of developing odontophobia, we have the perfect solution.

The Solution

If your dental handpieces need to be properly maintained, we know where to look. W&H has made more than just their incredible modern autoclave, the Lexa. They’ve also made a device that set a new standard for handpiece maintenance. The W&H Assisitina Twin is here to help you ensure your handpieces get the attention they need. The Assistina Twin is a “handpiece reprocessing device.” Meaning it completely cleans and lubricates the inner workings of your handpiece. Not only can it accomplish this in record time, but it has a very unique way of keeping said records. It has a wealth of features that make it the best handpiece reprocessing device on the market. 

• Easy to use, with a Quick Connect feature able to adapt to the fitting of any handpiece you need. And can be swapped on the fly for increased efficiency. 
• Two chamber design for a fast output when lubricating your tools. As you’re putting the next tool in, your first one is already done. 
• Able to give a thorough oil lubrication treatment in just 10 seconds. And utilizing a fine mist oiling process to get every part lubricated without setting anything in motion. 
• With its capabilities and functions, it can turnout 360 instruments per hour. 
• The Twin uses a smart process monitoring system that only uses what it needs as it needs it, and nothing more. Meaning its easy-to-change Care Set only needs to be changed every 2,800 instruments. 
• And along with saving time and money, the Assistina Twin is completely eco-friendly. Ensuring that both your instruments and the environment stay clean. 

With the Assistina Twin, even on your busiest days, your tools will always get the proper care.

Final Thoughts 

Proper maintenance is a very important part of the work day. But the result of not following through with it can be detrimental. Your handpieces will stop working as effectively as they should be for a number of reasons. Not only that, the problems that can arise because of this are something you don’t need on your plate. The potential harm your unmaintained handpieces can cause to your patients, and in some cases, even you. It’s not worth the risk to shrug off or forget maintenance that can ensure the safety of everyone and the longevity of your tools.

Thankfully, W&H has the solution to your problem, with the Assistina Twin. The fast-acting, dual-chambered handpiece reprocessing device. And if you thought that was a mouthful, try doing a procedure with faulty tools. The Twin alleviates the problems of quality and quantity in maintenance, able to provide a thorough cleaning and lubrication in record time. So you never have to be without a well-maintained tool on the job. Ensuring that not only are your patients safe, but the future of your tools is also. 

As always if you have any questions about this product or anything else please feel free to contact us and take advantage of our “FREE TECH SUPPORT.”

We also offer FREE VIRTUAL TECH SUPPORT to “See and Talk” with a “Real Time Live Technician” for any problems you may be in need of help with.

You can also use our “FREE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM”. Take the guesswork and worrying about what unit is due for maintenance and which maintenance cycle it is time for. We will keep track of all your autoclaves and let you know when it’s time for anything.