Wednesday, July 31, 2013
While I just moved to an electric handpiece four months ago, my decision to shift from a traditional air turbine dental handpiece to NSK Dental’s Ti-Max Z95L Electric Dental Handpiece was not something that happened on the spur of the moment.
My interest in electric handpieces probably started about 5 years ago. That was when electrics first made my list of products to check out during my annual visit to the Chicago Dental Society’s Midwinter Meeting. During that show I made my way to the booth of every company offering an electric handpiece so I could see what my options were.
At that time electric handpieces were bulky, heavy and bound to cause hand fatigue when used during longer procedures. I’d also read journal articles about electric handpieces overheating and burning patients. Five years ago I did not find an electric handpiece I was ready to use in my practice.
However, my interest in finding a better handpiece option never went away. I’ve continuously found myself frustrated with the turbine repairs, clogged water flutes and the lack of torque I was getting from my air driven handpieces. Earlier this year I decided I’d had enough of these problems. I needed something better than my air driven handpiece.
When I shared my desire for a better handpiece with my Patterson Dental Supply rep, he introduced me to a rep from NSK Dental who walked me through the company’s range of handpieces and I was convinced it would be a good idea to give an electric handpiece a shot. The NSK rep set up an electric system in my operatory for a trial and after two and a half weeks of using the Z95L I knew I was not going to send it back.
In the four months since I purchased the electric handpiece I’ve been very pleased with the performance, and I’ve noticed numerous big and small advantages when comparing it to my experience with my old air driven handpiece. The conventional wisdom that electrics are heavier handpieces is no longer true. My Z95L feels lighter and causes less fatigue than the handpiece it replaced, and its slender neck and small head allow me to access those tight areas. Another advantage is the adjustable lighting which is many times brighter than the light on my old air driven handpiece.
While those features are extremely nice, the real standout feature of this handpiece is the torque it provides. The Z95L is powerful when I need it to be and cutting off an old crown is no longer a dreaded procedure. However, it’s not just about raw power, as my favorite feature of the electric handpiece is the control it gives me, and the ability I now have to dial down the speed for caries removal, margin refinement and other delicate work.
In my hands, the Z95L has also proven to be amazingly consistent from handpiece to handpiece. When I used air turbine handpieces each one had its own personality, even when they were the same model. I used to be able to call out the serial numbers of my air driven handpieces without looking, but with the Z95L I find they all provide the same consistent performance.
This has actually been a critical feature of my shift from air driven to electric dental handpieces because there were some adjustments I had to make. With an air turbine handpiece I could listen to changes in the pitch of the handpiece and know when I’d hit caries or a transition between materials. The pitch changes due to pressure and resistance are different with an electric handpiece. With less obvious sonic cues, I’ve found I need to pay closer attention to the visual cues. However, this did not prove to be a big problem, and I now use magnification throughout my procedures rather than intermittently.
I’m very happy with my choice of the NSK Ti-Max Z95L Electric Dental Handpiece. I’m finishing procedures ahead of schedule and my team keeps asking me why I didn’t make the switch to an electric handpiece sooner. While I appreciate the encouragement, I always tell them, “The time was right when the time was right.” But I’m definitely pleased that time arrived.
Review Synopsis: NSK Ti-Max Z95L Electric Dental Handpiece
The Good
Lightweight and able to reach into tight spaces, the Z95L is a powerful and precise electric handpiece.
The Bad
Shifting from an air turbine handpiece to an electric meant learning to focus on visual rather than sonic cues while cutting.
The Bottom Line
Better cutting and more reliability. Shifting from air driven to an electric dental handpiece was the right choice for me and my practice.