Your dental handpiece is the center of your dental practice.  One of the most fundamental devices used in dentistry, the handpiece can enhance the efficiency of everyday dental tasks. Through the years, handpieces have gradually been redesigned and upgraded to become the highly accurate and sophisticated tools they are today. Technological advances continue to improve these indispensable instruments. Regular servicing of your dental handpiece is crucial to ensure a long and well-functioning operation of the tool.

If your dental handpiece is vibrating more than usual, it could be a sign that there’s a problem with the handpiece itself. The simple solution is that you may simply just need to flush the handpiece out with oil as directed by your manufacturer. Simple lubrication can work wonders for your handpiece. Alternatively, the bearings inside of the tool could be loose.

Handpieces need regular application of lubricant in order to avoid quickly degrading. Before every sterilization a few drops should be placed on certain spots while the handpiece runs on a low speed. This will prevent the dental handpiece from being down for an extended period of time. Be sure that you choose a quality lubricant as well.

If you notice that your dental handpiece is turning slower than normal, there could be a problem with the motor. This could also be due to a lack of regular servicing of the dental handpiece on your part. If there’s a problem with the turbine inside of the tool, you could also be looking at a problem with the motor on your dental handpiece. It may even be worth replacing your handpiece all together with a refurbished dental handpiece.

Sterilization is a necessary part of the maintenance of your dental handpiece. This process also puts your handpiece under the most stress with wear and tear. Maximum temperatures in your dental autoclave shouldn’t reach more than 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This can help to preserve your handpiece just a bit longer in between the need for service.

Maintaining the right amount of air pressure in your in dental handpiece is one of the most important aspects of operating the dental handpiece. You should have a proper air pressure test gauge in your possession as well as a PSI chart to be sure that proper pressure is being delivered to the tool.