Traditional Handpieces

The two traditional handpieces—electric and air-driven handpieces—each have unique characteristics with associated benefits and risks. There are also product variables both within the two types of technology and their attachments, and differences of opinion about the overall superiority of one over the other.

Air dental turbine unit

The air turbine high-speed handpiece, which relies on an air-driven turbine to rotate the cutting instrument, continues to be the most popular type of high-speed handpiece in the United States, likely due to its relatively low cost for purchase and repair, ability to rapidly remove tooth structure, ergonomic weight and size, and reduced risk of pulpal damage when used properly.2

High-speed air-driven devices function at up to 400,000 rpm and usually operate within 180,000 rpm to 330,000 rpm. However, their main disadvantage is that despite their high speed, their relatively low torque causes the bur to slow down when forced to endure heavy loads.

Electric

Electrically driven handpieces use a simple electrical supply to power the motor through a control unit. They are generally heavier, bulkier, and more expensive than their air-driven counterparts, and operate at a lower rpm than air-driven models—up to 200,000 rpm, depending on the specific handpiece(coxo dental handpiece) and attachments used.

The advantage is that their torque is constant, even under demanding loads, resulting in better cutting performance. They also typically offer a number of different motor attachments, which can be used to increase the rpm as needed, so the clinician can modify the same basic handpiece for a variety of procedures. Therefore one electric handpiece can be employed both for high-speed restorative and endodontic procedures and for low-speed restorative, hygienic, endodontic, surgical, and laboratory procedures.



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