Dental burs are an important part of daily general dentistry. Designed for cutting hard tissue such as tooth enamel or bone, these rotary instruments come in a variety of shapes, sizes and grits, with two or more sharp blades and multiple cutting edges.
Historically used as a basic cutting device for dental restorations, science and technology have taken the development of the ubiquitous bur to new heights and now encompasses a variety of options for dental procedures.
Dental burs are made of steel, stainless steel, tungsten carbide and diamond grit, making them durable and of high quality.
Each Bur Consists of Three Parts: Head, Neck and Handle.
The head contains a blade that rotates to cut tissue.
The neck is connected to the head, which contains the cutting blade or bur.
The shank is the longest part of the bur piece. It has different ends and can be connected to different types of mobile phones.
The Three Types of Tool Holders are:
Long straight/head burs (HP): Larger, long straight shank type for use with slow speed heads.
LATCH-TYPE/RIGHT ANGLE (RA): These secure onto low-speed angle handpieces.
Friction Grips (FG): These grips are used with high-speed handpieces.
They are used with high-speed handpieces and are usually classified by shape - conical, round or spear-shaped. When choosing the right bur, its unique properties are reflected in the angle and position of the blade, the shape of the head, and the abrasiveness of the grit.
In essence:
Circular bur – removes large amounts of cavities, prepares cavities, excavates and creates access points and channels for blades: tooth extractions.
Pear bur – Creates undercuts for filling material, digging, trimming and finishing.
Crosscut Tapered Fracture - Ideal for precise preparation while limiting debris build-up, such as in crown work.
Finishing burs are used to complete the restoration.
Like sandpaper, burs come in different roughness levels. Essentially, abrasiveness will vary from job to job. The coarser the grit, the more tooth surface is removed. The finer granularity is best for jobs that require limited detail, such as smoothing rough edges or around edges.
What are the Different Types of Dental Burs?
There are a wide variety of burs available to dentists, and choosing the most appropriate option can significantly improve clinical casework. Ideally, this can be done during the treatment planning stage.
The full range of turning needles includes:
Sterile Diamond Burs: Pre-sterilized and ready for use, these burs use high-quality diamonds for reliable cutting that can be used again and again.
Carbide Burs: Designed to minimize vibrations that can cause handpiece damage and patient discomfort, these burs are made from heat-treatable alloy steel for optimal strength and reliability.
Tungsten Carbide Bur: Made of hard material, it is an efficient and sharp cutting tool. They provide fast, smooth, vibration-free performance for patient comfort and reduced procedure time.
All accessories come with HP, RA and FG accessories.
Many of today's burs come in sterile, single-use packaging, which ensures better infection control - especially important in today's climate.
Disposable burs are also cost-effective (no sterilization required), more hand-friendly (won’t get clogged with debris), and patient-friendly (100% effective with every use, ensuring greater comfort).
Which Bur Should Be Used For Each Treatment?
Surgical burs: Used in oral surgery, today’s surgical burs are typically made of tungsten carbide or diamond, which means they are strong, durable and high-performance
Diamond burs are used to grind away tooth tissue and cut porcelain, and are primarily used with high-speed handpieces to leave a rough finish.
Tungsten carbide burs are also designed for optimal strength, durability and performance. These smooth tooth structures are three times harder than steel and have a smooth surface.
Restorative material burs: Diamond burs are ideal for cutting porcelain restorative materials.
Tungsten carbide burs cut tooth structure and are effective in removing metal restorations and trimming and finishing composite materials. They can be used to excavate and prepare cavities for filling, remove old filling material, and contour bones. They can also be used to remove affected teeth and separate crowns and bridges. They leave a smoother surface than diamond burs.
Ceramic burs are ideal for dentin removal and cavity preparation.
Cylindrical burs are used to remove amalgam restorations.
Finishing burs are designed to add the final touches (shape and finer details) to the restoration.
Flat-headed cylindrical burs are used for intraoral tooth preparation.
The reverse tapered bur is suitable for undercutting the opening of a root canal or restoration. They can also be used to flatten the pulp or gum walls.
Cone drills are used for intraoral tooth preparation and adjustment.
Steel burs are ideal for cavity preparation and dentine removal.
Orthodontic burs: Tungsten carbide burs in curved handpieces can be used for interproximal reduction, debonding, and predictable and safe resin removal with minimal damage to enamel, as well as for subsequent enamel polishing.
Laboratory burs: Ceramic burs are great for conditioning acrylics and thermoplastics.
Steel burs are designed for working with acrylic materials such as dentures and custom trays. They have good edge retention and are abrasion resistant.
With a variety of handle styles and head shapes, clinicians can choose the best option from a variety of options with advanced design features.
View our full range of dental burs.
Things to Remember When Buying Dental Burs
When purchasing a dental bur, it is recommended to address several issues. The first thing to pay attention to is the quality of the turning needle. You should make sure that your dental bur is made of high-quality materials and meets ISO standards. This will ensure its durability and enable you to provide a high level of service to your patients.
Another key parameter is flexibility. To meet a wide range of patient needs with optimal precision, the wide dental bur "kit" is highly recommended. The selection should include diamond and carbide burs, as well as a variety of shank and head shapes with different grit sizes.
Bottom Line
As this article details, dental burs come in many shapes and sizes. When you use multiple types of burs, you have a high degree of flexibility in treating patients and can use a variety of materials, speed levels, and head particles. It makes your job easier and enables your clinic to provide precise services.
That said, if you want to increase your dental bur variety, we recommend focusing on the quality and durability of your burs. These two features will ensure that your tool won't let you down when you need it and will help you perform your skills with the utmost professionalism.
At OVO we sell many types of turning needles. Our durable product portfolio is known for promoting long-term cost effectiveness. If you want to buy a high-quality bur that is both durable and cost-effective, look no further than OVO dental burs.
OVO-Your Dental Bur Expert
We have a team of dental consultants who have been working in the dental field for over 20 years. We offer the highest quality dental burs on the market today. OVO has worked with some of the most reputable manufacturers in the dental industry for many years to provide our customers with the best, greatest quality and reliable dental burs and help them achieve their goals.
OVO mission is to continuously improve products through innovative technologies that enable our customers to achieve their goals with precise precision and perform minimally invasive procedures.
OVO corporate vision is to provide dentists with innovative dental product solutions to achieve "faster and better patient experience"