Dental burs are used for cutting hard tissues – tooth or bone. These are manufactured from steel, metal, tungsten carbide and diamond grit. There can be a bewildering array of dental burs in a dental catalogue, but for basic veterinary just use several burs are required.
All burs possess a shank as well as a head. There are three main kinds of shank – Long Straight Shank (HP), Latch-type Shank (RA) and Friction Grip Shank (FG)
Long Straight Shank (HP)
These shanks go with the nose cone from the slow speed handpiece once the prophy angle or contra angle is taken off. They are utilized for diamond cutting discs or long 40mm burs. The key use of HP burs is incorporated in the trimming of small herbivore cheek teeth.
Latch-type Shank (RA)
These shanks squeeze into the latch from the contra-angle on slow speed handpieces. They can be 20mm long and available in the same shapes as FG burs.
Friction Grip Shank (FG)
These shanks match the turbine of the high-speed handpiece. The conventional length is 20mm long, but longer surgical lengths are available that are normally required for veterinary work.
Round Head
These heads bring cavity preparation, creating access points, undercuts and channels for luxator blades in extraction. Sizes cover anything from 1/4 to 9. Small the telephone number, smaller the top. The most effective sizes to work with initially are 1, 2, and 4.
Pear Head
These heads can be used cavity preparation, access points and splitting roots of small teeth. Probably the most useful sizes are 330 and 330L
Crosscut Tapered Fissure Head
These heads can be used for sectioning multi-rooted teeth and reducing crown height when disarming dogs. Probably the most useful sizes are 700/700L and 701/701L.
Finishing Burs
These heads are used for finishing restorations, soft tissue recontouring, alveolaplasty, enameloplasty and odontoplasty. They are often obtained as 12 or 30 bladed burs in carbide steel or as diamond heads of assorted shapes. Fortunately they are like white stone, for composite, or green stone, for amalgam.
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