Setting the Bur

By: Steve Aucremann

On:Tuesday June 15th 2010

Setting the bur is a simple step in installing a high speed bur in a handpiece which causes the chuck to grip the bur more securely. It requires putting slight pressure on the end of the bur after releasing the button on the handpiece. Any friction grip chuck with a button or a lever (does not apply to manual chucks) will benefit from this procedure but Star Dental has put this step in their "Handpiece maintenance PDF" (see the quote below). This will improve the bur retention and increase the life of the chuck by reducing wear.

Proper Bur Placement to prevent bur walkout

1. Insert bur into the autochuck until resistance is felt.
2. Depress autochuck end cap button and continue to feed-in bur until it clicks and stops.
3. Release end cap button.
4. Apply light inward force to the dental bur. This will help set the chucking mechanism for initial start up.
5. Always tug on the bur after it has been installed to confirm that it is secured.