With proper cleaning and care, you'll be able to rely on your KaVo instruments for years to come. Here are some tips to guide you!
Rotating handpieces with intact shafts
If you use dental burs that have not been approved by KaVo, the handpiece may suffer substantial damage. Damage includes: Defects on the chucking system or defects on the bur shaft.
Worn-out or damaged shafts/grooves (you can feel grooves when you run a fingernail along the shafts).
Length and dimensions of burs
For manufacturer information concerning the length, diameter, shaft shape and max speed, please refer to the corresponding instructions for use.
The dental bur shaft:
- The dental tool shaft must be smooth along the minimal shaft clamping length.
- The min. shaft clamping length of KaVo miniature turbines is 9 mm.
- The min. shaft clamping length of KaVo standard turbines is 11 mm.
Consequences of non-compliance with manufacturer specifications:
- The dental bur retention force may be too low due to a worn-out shaft and the dental bur may be released during the treatment.
- The shaft can spin freely in the chuck and destroys the chuck. The dental tool can fall out.
- The ball bearings, gear wheels and chuck can be overloaded, e.g. by the dental tools being too long.
- A shaft with recess/groove can jam in the clamping region of the handpiece.
Recesses or grooves in the clamping area can lead to accelerated wear and tear or jamming of the chucking system.
Seperation of crowns and bridges
Dental bur manufacturers offer crown materials specifically for different types of bur. For instance, they recommend a special bur made of hard metal for the crown made of metal or soft ceramics whereas for a zirconium crown, a diamond bur is recommended.
Please comply with the speed recommended by the manufacturer of the bur or crown separator. In case of straight- or cross-toothed crown separators the recommended speed is very often lower than that of diamond-coated crown separators.
Stop the handpiece immediately if the crown separator hooks into the tooth!
Irrespective of the type of crown separator used, if contact pressure is too high, this will also lead to a quicker wear and tear of the chucking system. KaVo recommends a contact pressure of 2-3 N.
The service life of a straight- and contra-angle handpiece or turbine significantly depends on the lubrication of the chucking system, the ball bearings and the gear.KaVo recommends switching to a new and perfectly serviced handpiece in case the treatment lasts clearly longer than 20 minutes.
Straight-toothed crown separator not recommended!
Handpiece without bur dental.
Handpiece with inserted bur.
Remove the bur from the chuck
The chuck should bear no load during storage in order to prolong its service life. Storage of handpieces together with the dental bur is associated with a risk of injury or infection.
Close the tensioning ring of the handpiece
Never start operating the straight handpiece while the chuck is open. The handpiece and chuck will malfunction or jam.
Never press the push-button during operation of the device
Never press or wipe the push-button on the turbine, straight or contra-angle handpiece while the handpiece is rotating, because of excessive wear and tear on drive/rotor and damage to the push-button/chuck.
Push-button used correctly.
Push-button was worn out due to incorrect use.
Never position the patient’s cheek close to the push-button.
The friction between the push-button and the chucking system generates heat that may cause burn injuries to the mucosal membranes.
