Few people look forward to the sound of the dental drill yet if it was not for the drill and the bur, the cutting bit, most people would be suffering much greater distress than the short-term unpleasantness we suffer. Yes, the shrill whine of the drill is one of the most detested noises we know but without it there would be even more piercing screams of pain.
History of drilling teeth
Research has uncovered examples of dental drilling going back 7,000 years and a pneumatic powered drill burr was developed in 1840s. In the early 20th century electric dentist drills came available which were able to spin at speeds of 3,000rpm. The dental drill we know nowadays is an air turbine drill and was first made in Wellington, NZ in 1949 by SIr John Walsh. This was further developed in the USA became more widely available in the late 1950s. Current dentist drills usually operate at rates up to 400,000 rpm and some approaching 800,000 rpm. The slower dentist drill, the sensation we usually loathe the most with its slow grind turns at around 40,000 rpm because of the extra force necessary to drill out the last aspects of the decay from the tooth.
What does a bur look like?
The actual cutting tool known as the dental bur is usually made from a single piece of very hard metal. It is commonly steel with a covering of tungsten carbide and occasionally solely comprises tungsten carbide. Some burs also have a diamond coating on the drilling surface.
A bur has three parts - the head, neck and shank. They are made in various designs and dimensions according to the different drilling job needed.
The head contains blades which are the actual cutting tips. These are positioned in various angles to produce different cutting finishes.
The most common bur designs are round, inverted cone, plain fissure, tapered fissure with each are used for the majority of dental drilling work.
Identification of burs
There is an international numbering system used for the burs so that it is easier for dentists or dental office managers to order dental burs from dental product suppliers. Therefore there is no need to check model numbers between suppliers.
Round burs have the lowest numbers usually below 10.
Plain fissure burs start at 50.
Cross-cut straight fissure burs start at 500 and tapered-fissure burs start with 700.
Dental burs are the element of dentist drills that we dread the most because it is the component that cuts into the tooth itself but unless we have dentist burs, we would be suffering much more pain for far more time.
History of drilling teeth
Research has uncovered examples of dental drilling going back 7,000 years and a pneumatic powered drill burr was developed in 1840s. In the early 20th century electric dentist drills came available which were able to spin at speeds of 3,000rpm. The dental drill we know nowadays is an air turbine drill and was first made in Wellington, NZ in 1949 by SIr John Walsh. This was further developed in the USA became more widely available in the late 1950s. Current dentist drills usually operate at rates up to 400,000 rpm and some approaching 800,000 rpm. The slower dentist drill, the sensation we usually loathe the most with its slow grind turns at around 40,000 rpm because of the extra force necessary to drill out the last aspects of the decay from the tooth.
What does a bur look like?
The actual cutting tool known as the dental bur is usually made from a single piece of very hard metal. It is commonly steel with a covering of tungsten carbide and occasionally solely comprises tungsten carbide. Some burs also have a diamond coating on the drilling surface.
A bur has three parts - the head, neck and shank. They are made in various designs and dimensions according to the different drilling job needed.
The head contains blades which are the actual cutting tips. These are positioned in various angles to produce different cutting finishes.
The most common bur designs are round, inverted cone, plain fissure, tapered fissure with each are used for the majority of dental drilling work.
Identification of burs
There is an international numbering system used for the burs so that it is easier for dentists or dental office managers to order dental burs from dental product suppliers. Therefore there is no need to check model numbers between suppliers.
Round burs have the lowest numbers usually below 10.
Plain fissure burs start at 50.
Cross-cut straight fissure burs start at 500 and tapered-fissure burs start with 700.
Dental burs are the element of dentist drills that we dread the most because it is the component that cuts into the tooth itself but unless we have dentist burs, we would be suffering much more pain for far more time.
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