To Lube or Not to Lube? – that is the question!

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Glenn Williams
dental-handpiece-bearing-retainers

Dental Handpiece Bearing Retainers

I get asked this one question more than any other every week: “Are Lube Free handpieces really lubrication free?”  The answer is “YES”. I was working for Star Dental back in 1990 when we introduced the first lubrication free handpiece. Star held a patent on this ceramic bearing design in the dental industry until May 2009, at that point other manufacturers were free to enter the “lube free” world of handpiece design. However, even after 20 years of field use the question still persists – why?

First let’s take a look at what “lube free” actually means. It means that the dental staff does not need to oil the handpiece – ever! This is possible because the bearings are pre-loaded with a special autoclaveable grease when the turbine is built. A special more absorbent bearing retainer material is used that helps hold this grease in the bearing. Ceramic balls are used instead of stainless steel, they are harder and lighter than stainless steel, resulting in less wear on the bearing retainer. All of these factors provide enough lubrication to keep the handpiece running without the need for external lubrication by the office staff. It is hard to believe, but this system does work. Star offers a one year warranty on their new turbines, as we do on our rebuilds. You can expect to possibly have a warranty failure during this time, but most turbines will last the year without lubrication.

Why the question then?  One of the limitations of a lubrication free turbine system is that there is more to the turbine than just bearings. The pushbutton chucks have small moving parts that will get corroded and sticky without some maintenance. For this reason Star issued a directive to apply a drop of oil to the chuck once a week, and to clean the chuck with a proxy brush. Chuck Maintenance Tip This guideline refers to a drop of liquid oil, NOT areosol spray. If you spray a lube-free handpiece with any areosol spray, the flushing action of the spray actually washes the pre-loaded grease out of the bearings, which will then lead to premature failure, unless you continue to oil the handpiece on a regular basis.

So this chuck maintenance guideline has gradually evolved into, “I heard you have to lubricate lube free handpieces…” – like a game of telephone gone bad! The answer is: DO NOT lubricate Lube Free handpieces with areosol spray. You may service the chuck with 1 DROP of liquid oil and a proxy brush once a week or if the pushbutton/chuck mechanism becomes sticky. 

I hope this helps take some of the confusion out of the misconceptions surrounding “Lube Free” handpieces.    Glenn

Posted in Handpiece Maintenance, Handpiece Repair | Leave a comment

Active Planning For the New Year!

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Glenn Williams

Yesterday I went to my annual planning seminar for 2011. What is an annual planning seminar? The workshop I attend is a group of small business owners who get together at the beginning (or end) of each year to review the previous year’s performance; evaluate what went right and what didn’t; and to set priorities and goals for the coming year. We do this in a group setting with a consultant, Mike VanHorn, www.businessownerstoolbox.com . Mike wrote a book called, “How to Grow Your Business Without Driving Yourself Crazy” which addresses some of the common problems small business owners experience when trying to grow a business.

Back when we first started our business, it was just me and Lori working out of our house, but as our business grew, so did the headaches from trying to do the actual work that makes up our core service, while at the same time juggling all the myriad other things a business owner has to deal with. I have been working with Mike since about 2002, and this planning seminar has got to be one of the most important drivers behind our growth and success. Every year I fill out the Action Planner Workbook throughout the 8 hour seminar. I think it is imperative to get away from your office for an entire day without interuption, where you can really focus on any shortcomings, and create a plan to overcome them in the year ahead. Running a business, or a dental practice, is a marathon, not a sprint! Of course some of the same problems keep appearing in my planner year after year – but that is the nature of planning. You have to set priorities and goals, accomplish what you can, and then regroup at the end of the year and see where you are, and where you want to go from here. Performing this exercise in a room with other business owners is also beneficial. We all have a tendency to think that our issues are unique, and no one else could understand…WRONG! It amazes me every year how much you can learn from other people who have been there and done that! Most business owners, or practice owners, have the same types of problems. Some of the workshop is collaborative, and it really helps to get objective input from people outside your industry.

So what if you don’t have a group to go sit down with to make a plan? Make your own group! You can get resources from Mike VanHorn online and do it yourself, but it would be better to form a small group of business owners who are committed to making positive changes and arrange a day to start your own planning workshop. If you get enough people Mike can even hold a tele-workshop, or a webinar, to you get started.

Are we where we want to be after 9 years of planning? Nope, but we are way farther down the road to success and lower stress than if we never tried to plan anything and just keep reacting to everything. Best wishes to you for 2011 – make it your best year ever!!!!  Glenn

Posted in Business Topics | Leave a comment

Being Thankful…

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Glenn Williams

Well the Holidays are here once again. Along with all the joys comes some stress in the press to get things done. It is easy to get caught up in the all the Christmas activities to the point where you stop feeling all the good feelings that are associated with the Season. I found the following tips in the San Francisco Dental Society Newsletter, written by Deborah Elam, the Executive Director. I thought these were so good that I wanted to share them. We all have a lot to be Thankful for; but sometimes you have to just stop and make yourself remember…

1. Have a good laugh – research shows that laughter is an excellent stress reducer. Take some time to laugh with your co-workers, family and friends.

2. Try not to procrastinate – take care of the most annoying tasks first, then enjoy the rest of your day.

3. Delegate the “takes-up-time-and-energy-tasks” as much as possible. You know, the “80/20″ rule? Focus on the 20% of things that produce 80% of the results for you, try to delegate the rest (not procrastinate! see rule 2.)

4. Take time to communicate and stay connected with your colleagues, family and friends. NO – I do not mean texting or email! Take time to write a real note on real paper, or pick up the telephone and talk to someone. I did this yesterday and it is very rewarding.

5. Take some quiet time for YOU – even 15 or 20 minutes cna be enough to re-energize and relax. Turn off phones and computers and stop for awhile and remember how fortunate you are! 

6. Don’t sweat the small stuff – and it’s ALL small stuff! Richard Carlson, PhD.

7. Be thankful! Stop and appreciate all the good things in your life on a regular basis. If you can’t think of anything, call me and I will give you a list!

I will be taking a break from blogging until the first of next year. So enjoy the rest of 2010, and make 2011 even better!  Thank you, Glenn

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Online Local Search is Growing

Posted on November 5, 2010 by Glenn Williams

According to this year’s Local Search Usage Study, conducted by comScore for TMP Directional Marketing, the three most common search methods; local; mobile; and social; are converging quickly. The results of this survey convey the importance for dentists to utilize online and social media marketing to develop a multi-channel search strategy for attracting potential new clients. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

70% of consumers go online FIRST for LOCAL business information – this is a 7% increase over 2009. But that does not mean that they are only using search engines. Online Social Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter Places provide a heavy “push” and offer consumers more options when it comes to finding local businesses. According to this survey, 69% of consumers are more likely to use a local business if it has information available on a social media site. One reason for this could be the trust generated by people who are already “fans” of the business. An even larger influence may come from the positive reviews and testimonials posted by clients of the business.

It is important for any dentist establishing on online presence to claim local listings on Google Places; Yelp; and the Internet Yellow Pages. Based on this survey, 1 out of 6 online searchers are frustrated with their ability to find reliable information about small businesses on the web, reporting that information is either missing or incorrect. 1 out of 3 consumers get fed up as a result and just abandon their search for a local business. 

According to stepbystepmarketing.com, postive customer reviews are crucial to attracting new clients today. People want proof that others love your service. You can increase your practice’s online credibility by making it easy for your patients to submit reviews. Use your email newsletter to to provide links to third-party review sites like Yelp.com, where patients can talk about their favorite aspects of your practice. You can also encourage  submissions directly to you through email or by posting to your social media fan pages. Share your happy patient reviews on your website; blog; print materials; newsletters; and email.

Posted in Dental Practice Marketing | Leave a comment

Electric Dental Handpiece Safety Tip

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Glenn Williams

Last week I blogged about the recent FDA warning (9/23/10) regarding  electric dental handpieces overheating. This week I burned my fingers while troubleshooting an electric 1:5 attachment to generate an estimate. It happened so fast, I did it again just to be sure – hey I’m a handpiece guy, not a rocket scientist! What strikes me is how rapidly a defective electric handpiece will heat up to a ”superhot” condition. The pain from my fingers traveled to my brain and sparked an idea! Every time I worked on an electric handpiece this week I felt the head immediately after operating the handpiece. In every case extreme heat was generated in less than 15 seconds. Remember, all the handpieces we receive are already malfunctioning, or they would not have been sent in for repair. But this got me thinking…. If every dentist took the following precaution BEFORE each procedure, I bet we could help prevent patient injury.

SAFETY TIP:  After removing the handpiece from the autoclave bag, but before gloving, install a bur in the chuck and run the attachment without the water spray for approximately 15 seconds. After the bur stops turning, gently grasp the head of the attachment with an ungloved thumb and forefinger to feel for any heat. A properly functioning electric 1:5 speed increasing attachment may feel warm to the touch after this – but it should NOT feel HOT. If you have any doubts, repeat this procedure for a longer period of time to see if the head does get progressivley hotter? If you still have any doubt about the amount of heat  generated from the head – send the unit out for evaluation. 

Even as a 16 year veteran of handpiece repair I am amazed at quickly these heads get painfully hot. Today I am working on an attachment that took a little longer than 15 seconds to heat up. When I got the cartridge apart, the bearings were intact, but there was a tiny crack in the bearing retainer! The slightest defect can lead to serious heat – fast! 

I hope this tip helps, thank you.

Glenn

Posted in Electric Handpieces | Leave a comment

FDA Medical Alert Issued for Electric Handpieces

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Glenn Williams

The FDA issued an alert to dentists for the second time on September 23, 2010 warning them about the danger of severe patient injury occuring from electric handpieces overheating.

“Burns may not be apparent to the operator or the patient until after the tissue damage has occurred, because the anesthetized patient cannot feel the tissue burning and the handpiece housing insulates the operator from the heated attachment. These burns range from first degree burns to third degree burns requiring reconstructive surgery.” 

Read more at the US FDA website

The FDA sites the two main causes of overheated electric attachments as lack of proper maintenance, and using the 1:5 speed increasing attachment on the incorrect motor speed setting in lieu of switching to a low speed attachment. I think most operators don’t understand the tremendous power that the electric motor generates. Unlike an air driven high speed handpiece which stalls out as soon as the bearings start to fail, an electric motor will still keep spinning the attachment after the bearings and gears are non-functional. This increased friction leads to immediate and intense heat that transfers through the handpiece head to the patients tissue. Since the patient is numb they cannot sense this burning and the operator may not notice the burns until much damage has been sustained. It is imperative that you IMMEDIATELY stop using any electric handpiece at the first sensation of heat. Remember there is water flowing through the instrument to cool it down, so if you can feel heat through your glove, it is already getting very hot.

From a business standpoint and not patient safety, if you continue to use the electric handpiece after the bearings and gears start to fail you are just increasing the damage to this expensive instrument and raising the cost to repair the handpiece.  If you send the attachment in at the first signs of heat or wear, it may be possible to just replace the worn bearings and reduce the overall cost of getting it repaired while preventing extenisve damage to the internal components.

Glenn

Posted in Electric Handpieces | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Welcome to the Handpiece Express Blog

Posted on September 16, 2010 by admin

This is the place to discuss and comment about dental handpiece repair issues, ideas, and to connect to others who are interested in dental handpieces. Enjoy!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment