Handpiece Skills Flashcards
What should you assess before you use a dental handpiece?
Has the handpiece been sterilised?
Visual - secure back cap, bur spins freely
Physical - bur locates, bur doesn’t wobble
Sound - sound is normal and not screeching/fluctuating
What is the problem of a handpiece with a loose back cap?
Risks back cap falling off - patient could swallow/inhale it
Loosening is most likely due to rotations and collisions
Do not hand tighten
What sound should you check for in broken handpieces?
Sound should not fluctuate
Sound should not screech
What should you check about the bur of a handpiece?
Should not wobble
Should not move up and down when the handpiece runs
Should spin freely - check by runnning it along your finger
Should rotate on its own axis
How fast is a slow speed handpiece?
Runs at 20000 spins per minute
What should you do when you discover a handpiece with a fault?
Alert a dental nurse and indicate the nature of the fault
DO NOT put it back in to get decontaminated
How do handpieces run?
Compressed air
How fast is a high speed handpiece?
Rotates between 4000-6000 per second
250000 rotations per minute
How would you check the backcap is secure?
Check that it does not rotate
Do not hand tighten
How would you check the bur is secure?
Try and pull it out
Make sure it locates in the chuck
How would you check the bur isn’t faulty?
Spins freely - run it along finger to see if it spins on it’s own axis
Doesn’t wobble - run along finger and check when switched on
