Importance of regular servicing
Regular servicing and maintenance of your dental handpieces are vital to ensuring their effectiveness and longevity. Not keeping on top of your servicing can cause damage to your patients and to your reputation. But how do you know when is the right time to book in a service?
Here are some of the signs to look out for!
Abnormal Vibrations
Are you noticing that your handpiece is vibrating more than usual? Is your wrist getting sore? This is because you are trying to compensate for the abnormal vibration of your handpiece. If this is the case, it is likely to be causing your patient’s discomfort too. Abnormal rhythm is an indication that the bearings on your handpiece are failing and needs inspecting by a specialist technician!
Reduced Speed
Most high-speed turbines will rotate at 250,000 to 400,000 revolutions per minute. This means that your bearings need to be in excellent condition. If the speed of the bur significantly reduces, it will not cut with optimum efficiency. If you notice your handpiece seems to have slowed down, or not be as efficient, it’s time to get it checked.
Interrupted Water Flow
Water is essential to assist with cutting and keeping the bur cool. Patient safety is compromised if the water flow is interrupted or stops altogether, and the handpiece can become damaged. It is wise to check water is flowing through the hose to the point of the handpiece connection, so if this isn’t happening, it is time to get your handpiece checked.
Increased Heat
Most handpieces will become warm with use, particularly if they are motor driven. However, if you notice the heat increasing, this is a sign that there may be a failure in some of the internal parts of your handpiece. This will normally be accompanied by an increase in noise and vibration.
Disturbed Rhythm
When running at full speed, your hand piece should produce a consistent sound. If there are any fluctuations or disturbances in the sound, it is a sign that there may be excessive wear, or even breakage within the handpiece. Whilst the handpiece will continue working, urgent attention to this is required!
If your handpieces are showing any of the above signs, then it is definitely time to get them serviced. To find out more about our servicing and service plans for your dental equipment, check out our website Handpiece Service Plan | Dental Handpiece Repairs UK | Trigiene Repair
Handpiece Servicing
Success at the British Dental Conferance and Dentistry Show!
The inaugural British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show excelled this year as a record breaking number
of visitors and exhibitors visited the show over two days!
This year saw over 9,321 dental professionals gathering at the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show on Friday 18th and
Saturday 19th May (NEC), making it the UK’s largest free to attend, education and trade event for the dental profession.
Visitors gave the free-to-attend, two-day CPD training and education conference and exhibition a resounding thumbs up.
The show gave Trigiene the opportunity to showcase new products and a branding re-fresh, which we hope you’ll agree looks fantastic.
Trigiene to exhibit at the Scottish Dental Show on 27th – 28th April 2018 – Stand A17
Online registration for the Scottish Dental Show is now open with the 2018 event promising another world-class speaker line-up and more than 140 exhibitors.
Scotland’s biggest dental show will take place on 27 and 28 April at Braehead Arena and will mark the seventh year of the award-winning event.
As well as a packed trade show, featuring some of the biggest names in the industry, the show will also see more than 50 lecture and workshop sessions covering all the major CPD subjects. Delegates can gain up to nine hours of verifiable CPD on topics ranging from composites, digital dentistry, child protection and safeguarding, mouth cancer, radiation protection, decontamination and many more.
The lecture and workshop programme will feature some household names from Scotland, the UK and further afield. To view the preliminary schedule, click here.
(Please note: the programme may be subject to change at this point.)
To register for free tickers click here
Trigiene to exhibit at the 2018 Dentistry Show on 18th – 19th May 2018 – Stand L18
Trigiene will be exhibiting at this year’s Dentistry Show (STAND L18)
The British Dental Association and CloserStill Media have announced a major new collaboration, that will see the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show launch in May this year.
The new collaboration of the BDA’s British Dental Conference and Exhibition, and CloserStill Media’s Dentistry Show, will take place on 18 to 19 May 2018 at the Birmingham NEC and will be the undisputed leader in dental events.
The BDA Conference & Exhibition has been running for over 100 years and is the BDA’s annual flagship event for its members and the wider dental profession. The Dentistry Show, will have been running for 11 years in 2018. The new event will now become the key date in all dental professionals’ diaries with over 10,800 visitors attending the two day event.
To register for free tickets, visit: www.thedentistryshow.co.uk
Let your repairs take care of themselves…
As the end of the year fast approaches, we want to make sure that you’re making the most out of the Trigiene online repair portal. You can download a full report of which Handpieces, by serial number have been into the workshop over the last 12 months, including dates submitted and a full list of repair expenditure.
How to view your online report:
- Visit www.dentalhandpiecerepairs.co.uk
- Click on ‘My Account’ in the top blue bar
- Click ‘Export Your Repairs’ on the right-hand side, bottom button
- Select ‘To’ and ‘From’ dates which you’d like to see a report for
- Click ‘Export To Ticket’
- Click ‘Download Your File’
- Your report will automatically start to download as a CSV file
Storing your Handpieces for long periods of time
With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, we’re all starting to think about how we’ll leave our premises for the break. With some practices closing for a week, to 10 days, I’m sure they have a list of checks to go through before they close the practice.
Handpieces are possibly the last item on that list, but we’ve put together a few tips to help with the correct storage over this period.
Firstly, it depends on whether you’re sterilising using a vacuum class B autoclave or non-vacuum. If a non-vacuum is used, be sure the handpieces are thoroughly dried prior to bagging.
The most common problem we see are the Handpieces becoming corroded due to contact with moisture for long periods of time. Trigiene recommends bagging the Handpieces once thoroughly dry or drying with non-linting disposable drying cloths, prior to bagging.
Wherever possible, store handpieces in the vertical position (head up) so that any moisture that may have collected in or around the head can drain away.
HTM01-05 states that you should have a way of monitoring sterilisation dates and rotate in a first-in/ first out system. Unwrapped instruments should be stored and transported in a way that minimises contamination. These boxes provide a clear, safe and identifiable way of transporting contaminated or decontaminated instruments. Best practice requires instruments that aren’t scheduled for current use, to be stored in a separate environment (clean room or designated clean area of decontamination room).
Matthew Evershed
MD of Trigiene Dental
Trigiene Dental now ISO 9001:2015 Accredited
The Trigiene Repair workshop is not only state-of-the-art but is also ISO 9001:2015 accredited.
This Quality Management System ensures the best quality service, while having clear structures
and business efficiencies in place, giving our customers the confidence in the quality of service provided.
We only use European manufactured bearings and cartridges as standard on turbines
(OEM cartridges can be installed upon request), offering you the most cost effective solution. Most other
repairs are carried out using OEM parts. All of our parts have full trace-ability giving you peace of mind.
Our highly skilled and qualified engineers are manufacturer trained and certified on a regular basis.
They are always on hand to talk you through your repairs and to help with any equipment
maintenance queries that you may have.
BOOK, PACK & TRACK
BOOK your FREE same day collection service online at www.dentalhandpiecerepairs.co.uk, or call the Trigiene team who can do this for you. We use DPD Local who will collect your Handpieces direct from the practice. We never charge you for collection or delivery, even if you decline the repair quote!
PACK your Handpiece into the provided silver collection pack and leave at your Reception for DPD to collect. Make sure you fill out the two-part form, keep one for your records and pop the other inside the repair pack with your broken Handpiece.
TRACK your Handpiece anytime or anywhere with our bespoke online tracking facility. You can easily keep track of your overall spend with our downloadable reports.
Why is it important to use a quality branded oil for my handpieces?
All Handpiece oils are made equal, right? No, unfortunately not. Dealing with thousands of Handpiece repairs on a weekly basis, we get to know the effects of poor oiling, no oiling and poor quality oil.
One practice recently had an issue with higher than normal Handpiece repairs yet they insisted the oiling procedure was carried out according to manufacturer’s instructions and there had been no change in procedure. When the dentist explained that he had had an issue with ‘over-oiling’ and that he was fed up with his Handpieces becoming slimy with oil, we quickly realised the problem and politely asked what oil his practice was using. We were informed me that it was (I won’t mention the brand) a generic budget Handpiece lubricant.
So the cycle of events was – Handpieces being oiled with budget oil, which has a poor composition. The oil remains stuck in globules in and around the Handpiece as it doesn’t flow or disperse easily. Yes, the nurse was oiling the Handpiece correctly, ensuring that clear oil went right through the Handpiece. The Handpiece was autoclaved and ready for use.
During the autoclave process, some of this poor budget oil ran out of the Handpiece and was now coating the exterior of the Handpiece. The dentist by this point is fed up with handling slimy Handpieces so he has a word with the nurse and explains she is ‘over-oiling’ the Handpieces as they are coming out of the sterilisation pouch coated in oil. The nurse takes this advice and only gives the Handpiece a short burst of oil and does not allow the oil to flow through the complete Handpiece. This produces the desired effect with the dentist, he is much ‘happier’ with the Handpieces until they stop working! Any dirt/debris has been pushed into the head of the Handpiece with a serious lack of oil and parts fail, leading to costly repairs.
So what makes a good quality Handpiece oil? Needless to say, Handpiece manufacturers have developed their own oil to best suit their Handpieces. With a good quality oil, the Handpieces can be oiled sufficiently without affecting user experience. The composition of a good quality oil allows the smallest and most intricate parts of the handpiece to be oiled and it should not be possible to over-oil the Handpiece. For more detailed hints and tips on Handpiece oiling see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3meUfyo0XBQ
Ever wondered what the most reported issues are with Handpieces?
Q. What are the most common issues practices have with Handpieces?
A. Failed Bearings, Chucks and water leaks.
Q. What can practices do to cut down con costly Handpiece Repair Bills?
A. Follow the correct oiling procedures and use a reputable make sure your Handpieces are serviced every 12 months
Q. How often should Handpieces be oilied?
A. Handpieces should be oiled every 20 minutes or before each sterilisation, whichever comes first.
Q. Is is better to oil Handpieces by hand or to use an Oiling Machine?
A. A properly set up and regularly serviced machine is the best way to maintain Handpieces.
To find out how to oil your Handpiece correctly, head over to our YouTube page.
