Electric Handpiece Hang-ups Are Handled

A lot can happen in 4 years. The pace of change in technology and its impact on our day-to-day can feel constant, and with the many ways technology now informs clinical practices and procedures, dental companies feel the pressure to keep up.

Situated in Bienne, Switzerland, Bien-Air Dental operates on its own timetable to do the job right. The result is Nova—the new contra-angle, launched at the 2022 Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting—a product that spent more than 4 years in development and will reorient how dentists think about electric handpieces. I sat down with Daniel Call, the director of sales for Bien-Air Dental, to learn more about Nova.

Lou Shuman: Bien-Air electric handpieces already had an industry reputation for quality. What sent the team back to the drawing board to design what became Nova?

Daniel Call: I’ve spent a lot of time talking to dentists about electric handpieces over the years, and I’ve heard [several] arguments as to why they remained cautious about transitioning to electrics. We didn’t want to settle until we addressed all those concerns and delivered an option that any and every dentist could say yes to.

LS: It seems like size and weight were a significant priority in that process.

DC: Absolutely. Nova features the smallest head size and front bearing with 4-port water spray. We call it the Accu-Spray Quattro Mix system. Our approach had to be strategic because if reducing the head size means a dentist can’t use a standard-length bur, then we’ve overshot. Precision is in our DNA, and the engineering team really delivered on the smallest, slimmest, [and] lightest promise while retaining the original features.

LS: The engineers had to work nearly 4 years to create all new gears for a head that small.

DC: We didn’t invent the Cylcro gears, but we found a way to borrow revolutionary technology. We’re really proud to introduce Cylcro to dental handpieces, not only because they meet our size needs, but [also because] they are designed to reduce friction and protect against wear. This new design makes the Nova ultradurable. Combined with the stainless-steel construction, the handpiece is 4 times more resistant to shocks and, by our lab’s calculations, basically doubles the service life compared [with] previous generations of handpieces.

LS: What does that mean for warranties and future sales?

DC: Dentists want to invest in products built to last because it establishes a sense of trust that is critical when providing clinical care. Nova is reliable. It is one of the safest handpieces on the market—both for dentists and patients—and it is slim enough to be one of the most versatile tools in a dentist’s toolbox.

LS: What does this really change for the day-to-day experience of the dentist?

DC: Our products are second to none, but it isn’t truly excellent until it is in the hands of a dentist. Nova is about getting more dentists to consider electrics. We know that once they experience a demo [and] use it with even a few patients, they’ll be electric users for life. Going electric completely reorients how a dentist thinks about power and its role in clinical procedures. It sounds cliché, but you don’t work harder, you work smarter.

Nova is not only the most versatile handpiece we’ve put forward but it is [also] inspiring us to find new and innovative ways to connect. That’s part of why we’ve created this special scratch-and-win campaign, where dentists can fill out an online form, then receive a postcard in the mail. Once they scratch, it will reveal special discounts. For 5 dentists, it will reveal an entire office installation, where we come in and refit their operatory with Nova and the iOptima INT. We want as many dentists as possible—and by extension, patients—to see what a difference electrics can make.