Eighteen Top Tips For Saving Money on Dental Handpiece Repair

These are general handpiece maintenance guidelines and apply to most manufacturer’s handpieces. However always read the instruction manual before use to check for correct maintenance information. Always use a high quality lubricant as recommended by the handpiece manufacturer* to properly clean and lubricate the handpieces.
1. Take the used handpiece and remove any physical debris using a wipe or a tissue.
2. Always shake the oil spray can vigorously before use.
3. Take the oil spray can fitted with the correct spray nozzle and insert it into the back of the handpiece.
4. Use the correct nozzle for the type of handpiece being processed are supplied with new handpieces
5. Hold the handpiece firmly and spray the oil for approximately 1/2 - 1 second until clear oil comes through
the handpiece head. This can be done over a sink or into a paper towel to reduce messy oil residues on
work surfaces.
6. If the handpiece is of fixed connection type, usually either Borden 2/3 hole fitting or 4 hole Midwest
fitting then the oil should be sprayed into the drive air hole at the rear of the handpiece. For Borden
2/3 hole fitting handpieces, the drive air is the largest hole and for 4 hole Midwest fitting handpieces,
the drive air is the smaller of the two largest holes at the rear of the handpiece.
7. Occasionally oil can be sprayed into the face of the handpiece head of push button type handpieces
to ensure that the chuck mechanism continues to function correctly.
8. Place the handpiece into the autoclave and process as normal.
9. Do not re-oil after autoclaving.
10. Before use, run the handpiece for a few seconds to remove any oil that may still be present in the handpiece.
11. With low speed handpieces, before operation always confirm that the head is correctly and firmly attached
to the shank.
12. Airmotors only need to be oiled occasionally (perhaps once a month is sufficient), or each
time before autoclaving; use the drive air hole or the correct nozzle if the airmotor is of quick disconnect type.
13. Some air scalers do not require oiling. For other manufacturer please refer to individual instructions.
14. Most turbine handpieces are designed to operate at around 35-40 psi (approximately 2.2-2.5 bar) using
clean and dry air.

THE DON’TS
1. Do not place handpieces into cold sterilization fluids.
2. Do not place handpieces into ultrasonic baths.
3. Do not process handpieces using a dry heat sterilizer.
4. Do not expose handpieces to any highly concentrated cleaning solutions or those which are highly acidic or
highly alkaline.