D.J. Wanberg

	There are many important parts of a dental practice, but perhaps none is more important than the dental delivery system. It is the engine that moves dental procedures and care forward, and any design (or redesign) of an operatory must include a consideration of the delivery system.

Dr. John Flucke, a dentist with almost 30 years of experience with a practice in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, believes that if a dentist is happy with how he or she can provide care for patients with the ease that current dental delivery systems provide, wait for the future.

	“They are going more and more into an ‘all-in-one’ where everything you might want is all part of the delivery system and less has to be purchased a la carte,” says Dr. Flucke, who is DPR’s chief dental editor and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board.

Related reading: Maximizing comfort and efficiency with dental chairs

	He believes that a dental delivery system should serve two purposes.

	“I personally prefer a rear delivery system because it keeps most of the ‘scary’ looking things behind the patient and not directly in their field of view,” he says. “I also feel that it should be an ergonomic aid to the practitioner. Dentistry is a difficult profession that takes its toll over the years if you are not working ergonomically.”

	Dr. Flucke thinks that current models from 

 stand out as far as quality and how they allow the dentist to provide quality results and care for the patient.

	“They should last 20 years or so,” he says. “A good dental unit needs to be maintained, but it is not expensive to do so. Usually, they are replaced simply because they become outdated in appearance before they totally fail.”

Dr. David Rice is a veteran dentist of more than 20 years and practices in East Amherst, New York. He also prefers a rear delivery system and uses A-dec dental delivery systems.

	“It keeps everything away from the patient, making them more comfortable, and it keeps everything neat and clean,” says Dr. Rice, a national author and lecturer on dental topics and a member of the DPR Editorial Advisory Board. “And it’s functional for us.”

	He notes that when purchasing a delivery system, the comfort of the dentist and hygienist should be considered so as to not affect their workflow.

	“What about posture?” Dr. Rice asks. “You want everything within arm’s grasp.”

is also a dentist with more than 20 years of experience with a practice in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He likes that good delivery systems can provide a dental practice the ability to help patients in a quality and timely manner.

	“Obviously, when you are looking to purchase one, you are looking at ease of use, efficiency. You want everything at your fingertips,” he says.

	Dr. Flucke believes that one gets what one pays for in regard to dental delivery systems.

	“Good systems require minimal maintenance by anyone. Often a doctor will try for a low price only to find out they lose the money they saved on repair costs,” he notes.

 had to offer in the way of delivery systems that can change easily.

	“You need the ability to replace parts to adapt to the future,” he says. “Unfortunately, we are a disposable society. A, you don’t want to have the company go out of business. And, B maybe your delivery system is mechanically sound, but a little bit out of date.”

Trending article: 8 reasons operatory esthetics matter to your patients 

	Dr. Rice also observes that maintenance is simple.

	“There are daily, weekly and yearly things to do,” he says. “They are simple and efficient and anyone can do them. You have to maintain the waterline that patients drink from or rinse their mouth with. You have to flush the waterlines. The handpiece tubing has to be clean. It takes seconds every morning to make sure it’s clean. Same goes with the vacuum lines.”

	Dr. Juliani says that his practice has five 

 and two Teneo treatment centers that he likes using and speaks of highly. The company combines a delivery system with a dental chair to make what it calls a treatment center. He also likes the potential lifespan of his treatment centers.

	“The technology available today is incorporated into the treatment system and the delivery system it comes with,” he notes. “The systems are digitally downloaded and can be upgraded with the future in mind.”

	Dr. Juliani doesn’t think dental delivery systems will make huge strides in the future, only because of what has been developed up to this point.

	“I think they can become even more efficient, but everything is there already,” he says.

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This vital part of the operatory is often overlooked, so here’s what to consider when planning your practice.There are many important parts of a dental practice, but perhaps none is more important than the dental delivery system. It is the engine that moves dental procedures and care forward, and any design (or redesign) of an operatory must include a consideration of the delivery system.

The keys to properly designing a delivery system

	Dr. Andrew W. Chin, a graduate of UCLA School of Dentistry, has been in practice at Tri-City Dental Care of Cerritos, California since 1998. His experience includes esthetic dentistry, implantology (placement and restoring of dental implants) and working with medically compromised patients. He is a credentialed member of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.

	Dentists deal with three factors when choosing equipment. His or her ability to do a particular procedure with that piece of equipment is the first, followed by how that piece of equipment will affect the final quality of the finished procedure and, lastly, how it plays into the comfort of the patient. Here, Dr. Chin talks to DPR about his experiences using electric handpieces from Bien-Air.

Related reading: Improved options, patient comfort delivered by Bien-Air

, having switched to using them for all the procedures he does four years ago. He is a firm believer that electric handpieces help him provide quality results for his patients. 

Dr. Chin had been using electric handpieces for orthodontic implants and using air handpieces for general dentistry before making the full-time switch. He said there is a period of adjustment for a dentist when switching to electric handpieces, but he stresses that it is worth it.

	“With an air handpiece, you hold it like a pen or pencil. With an electric handpiece, you have to relearn to hold it. You have to find the sweet spot to hold it,” Dr. Chin says.

	Some dental procedures require the removal of old dental work and Dr. Chin says an electric handpiece makes doing that much easier.
	
	“In general, when you are removing an old crown or old bridge, because of the constant torque, it cuts right through, like butter,” he states.
	In regards to patient comfort, the torque potential allows the electric handpiece to do procedures quicker because it can be adjusted from slower to quicker speeds. Dr. Chin says his patients notice how the electric handpieces are quieter. Additionally, the heads have gotten smaller, which also plays into patient comfort.

	The California clinician likes the cost savings of electric handpieces.
	“You don’t have to change turbines as often. I haven’t had to change turbines yet,” he says.
	He is quick to encourage other dentists to switch to electric handpieces. “I tell them it took a little while for me to adjust, but with any new technique there is a learning curve. There is no reason not to switch with how advanced they are,” he says.
	Dr. Chin believes that electric handpieces will continue to evolve. The current benefits make this a great choice for today’s dentists, but he expects improvements in the future will only help cement electric handpieces as the choice for more and more clinicians.
	“Down the road, the technology will continue to improve with size being the biggest factor. The head will definitely get smaller,” he says.

	The MX2 LED motor is effective at low speeds, due to the Smart-Logic electronic control, providing constant torque across all speed ranges - 100 to 200,000 rpm. The handpiece is also 30-percent shorter and 23 percent lighter. Bien-Air’s latest EVO.15 handpiece has been proven never to exceed body temperature thanks to the patented COOLTOUCH+™ heat-arresting technology. The 

 and the MX2 brushless micromotor allow users the ability to adapt to different situations and procedures, all with seamless integration into any existing dental unit. For more inforamtion, visit 

Dr. Andrew W. Chin, a graduate of UCLA School of Dentistry, has been in practice at Tri-City Dental Care of Cerritos, California since 1998. His experience includes esthetic dentistry, implantology (placement and restoring of dental implants) and working with medically compromised patients. Here, Dr. Chin talks to DPR about his experiences using electric handpieces from Bien-Air.

Double Take: "...because of the constant torque, it cuts right through, like butter.”

	Dr. Matthew Giunta, owner of Giunta Dentistry in Tampa, Florida, knows that one handpiece speed does not fit all for different dental procedures.

	That’s why he likes Bien-Air’s MX2 motor which he has been using for three years. Dr. Giunta has found that using Bien-Air products has helped him with efficiency as well as with resolving problems. Here, the third-generation dentist explains the benefits he realizes by using the MX2 motor and the 

, after trying multiple handpiece brands.

Related reading: Applying Bien-Air’s Tornado handpiece in your practice

	Different dental procedures require different handpiece speeds. Also, all mouths are not the same size. A dentist needs a handpiece that can reach all teeth and is lightweight for easy operating by the dentist.

	Using Bien-Air’s EVO.15 contra-angle and the 

 to allow the dentist options in how to approach different dental procedures and for optimal patient comfort.

	“When you are going into deep decay, close to the nerve, you need a slow hand. You can get down to 500 rpm and have fine control and avoid pulp exposure,” Dr. Giunta says. He adds that it’s the first micromotor that he’s used that had a touchpad and again he appreciates the options regarding speed. The touchpad also provides the option of storing settings that a dentist uses and in a practice with more than one dentist, multiple settings can be stored.

	“You can have 200,000 rpm all the way down to 500 rpm, an exclusive feature to Bien-Air’s MX2 system,” says Dr. Guinta, whose family practice includes his father, a dentist involved in sleep dentistry, and his wife, the office manager. “It works great on all materials. It’s a nice feature to have and you can do a very nice polish of composites.”

	Dr. Giunta, a graduate of the University of Florida School of Dentistry, says the MX2 reduces vibration to the patient and reduces chatter which is important to such procedures as cutting crowns. Another plus is the fact that Bien-Air’s MX2 motor has the highest advertised torque, 3.5 Ncm, and will never stall.
	He also likes the water ports on the MX2 and how they deliver water during a procedure. There are four different water ports that can provide both high or low-water cooling.

	“I have always been happy with the water flow. It adequately cools the tooth every time,” he states.
	The EVO.15 just became part of the practice this summer and the reduced weight of the handpiece and the length of the handpiece make procedures easier according to Dr. Giunta. “You can get to back molars much easier especially with patients with smaller mouths,” he says.

	Dr. Giunta adds he never had a problem with his previous handpieces overheating. However, this became a concern of public health officials after patients were burned on the inner check after contact, no matter how brief, with the instrument’s push-button and the patient’s inner-cheek, causing the instrument to overheat.

	Bien-Air developed the EVO. 15 to prevent this and it has been proven never to exceed body temperature thanks to the patented COOLTOUCH+™ heat-arresting technology, constructed of a ceramic push button. This is different than other heat reducing/heat sensing technology - this is a heat arresting technology, preventing the heat from even being produced in the handpiece.

	Bien-Air’s EVO.15 contra-angle and the MX2 brushless micromotor allow Dr. Giunta and dentists around the world the ability to adapt to different situations as they do a variety of procedures. Dr. Giunta also comments on Bien-Air’s LED, the brightest in the industry, 38,000 LUX, saying the light is “great and real bright.”

For more on electric handpieces, read: Electric handpieces solve many problems

	Additionally, the MX2 LED motor is exceptionally stable and powerful. It is effective at low speeds (as low as 100 rpm), due to the Smart-Logic electronic control. The unit is also 30% shorter and 23% lighter when used with the new Bien-Air Micro-Series Instruments.

Dr. Matthew Giunta, owner of Giunta Dentistry in Tampa, Florida, knows that one speed does not fit all for different dental procedures. That’s why he likes Bien-Air’s MX2 motor which he has been using for three years. Dr. Giunta has found that using Bien-Air products has helped him with efficiency as well as with resolving problems.