By Angie Bachman, Lead Clinical Consultant
Leave it to a pandemic to get the dental industry thinking on their toes. There is no such thing as "temporary" when it comes to Covid. Unfortunately, compared to its predecessors, Covid-19 is here to stay. While some dental supply and equipment manufacturers are in short term “let’s wait until there is a vaccine” mode, others are putting their best foot forward by innovating long-term solutions that will become the new standard of care. I love Bien Air handpieces and electric motors because of their reliability and durability. But there are a few more invisible particulars behind this company and their products.
Electric handpieces as the future standard of dental care
Right now, dental handpieces are under a microscope. I’m going to say it now, “Electric handpieces may become the future standard of dental care.” Air driven handpieces create more spray because more water is used to cool the tooth. When chip air and water spray combines with saliva, aerosol is created. And what happens if your handpiece head isn’t completely sealed? The vacuum draws them into your handpiece head. Whenever the operator lifts their foot off the rheostat, it is possible that up to 1 mL of contaminated fluid will be sucked back into the handpiece tubing - leaving the backwash. Bacteria and viruses may contaminate the air and water tubes within the dental unit and you cannot sterilize your dental unit hoses. You need a handpiece with an anti-retraction valve.
More modern air driven handpieces are engineered with a closed handpiece head and an anti-retraction valve located in the coupler. We’re getting better. The concept of the coupler was to provide easy connect/disconnect capabilities. You’re still generating the same amount of aerosol, but instead of the suck back traveling into the tubing, it stops at the coupler. You disconnect the handpiece from the coupler and sterilize it. The coupler stays on the tubing and does not get sterilized. A sterile handpiece is then placed back onto that coupler for use. Hmmmm.
Not all electric dental handpieces are the same
Electric handpieces are engineered differently requiring less RPM speed to accomplish a better result. This is not only better for you and your schedule, but most importantly, your patient. Less water is required to cool the tooth because you are now cutting the tooth versus grinding the tooth. Docs say, “it’s like taking a hot knife to butter.” It doesn’t matter whether you utilize air-driven components or electrics, high-speed dental handpieces create the majority of aerosols produced in a dental practice. This increases the risk of cross contamination whenever a high-speed handpiece is used. The anti-retraction valve is located in the motor of the handpiece of all electric handpiece manufacturers, except for one - the Bien Air Handpiece.
The Bien Air dental handpiece
Since this Covid stuff hit, I have been spending time hunting down the best of the best from a safety standpoint. I didn’t have to look very far to find the best handpiece because we integrate them into our Dental Workstations. When it comes to dental handpieces, either air-driven or electric, one manufacturer leads the class in performance and engineering. By that, I mean safety and infection prevention. Bien Air is the only handpiece on the market with an anti-retraction valve located inside the body of the handpiece. This makes Bien Air the only handpiece with a sterilizable anti-retraction valve. Dan Call, Sales Director at Bien Air, explains Dentistry IQ Webinar series: Is Your High Speed Handpiece Safe? By Pamela Maragliano-Muniz, DMD from June 23rd, 2020.
This is a big deal guys! I encourage dentists I work with to consider upgrading to electric handpieces. They never go back to air - I promise you. Electric is not only more efficient than air driven but also safer during this post Covid-19 era. Bien Air has the best handpiece on the market. It's an investment will improve your dentistry across the board.
