Handpiece Lubrication

Lubricating your handpiece is critical

There are many types of oil used for lubricating, the big question is what oil to use?

First of all by law you have to use a food grade oil, because you are putting it in someones mouth.

The difference between oils;

Some oils will burn when in side an autoclave, leaving a black residue. If the oil burns when autoclaved than there is nothing lubricating the handpiece, therefore you need to oil after autoclaving. Oils that burn at 275 degrees fahrenheit or less (autoclave temperature) can be very costly. Even if it is inexpensive you will need to use it more often to keep the handpiece lubricated, and to get out the residue it left behind.

Oils that have a higher burning point then 275 degrees fahrenheit will withstand autoclaving keeping the handpiece lubricated and not leaving behind extra debris.

Sticky oils (greasy like oils) will stick to the inside of the handpiece and stick to any debris that enters the handpiece trapping it inside. Because of its sticky nature it is difficult to flush out, holding in debris. This is like adding sand to your car engine oil, destroying things in a hurry.

Synthetic oil is what we would recommend. This would be an oil that is slippery but not sticky. A slippery oil will make everything slick reducing friction (oils purpose). This is good for all the parts in a turbine. Plus any debris in the handpiece will become slick causing it to flow through, keeping the inside clean. The cleaner the inside of the handpiece the better it will run and the longer it will last.

Dentool has tried many types of oil and the one we like best is a synthetic high temperature oil. It is a very slippery oil making it a self cleaning oil. When using our oil in a handpiece that has used a non synthetic oil it will go in clear and normally come out black. This tells us that there is debris buildup inside, when adding slippery oil it removes the stickiness and the debris is free to flow. After flushing with the slippery oil several times it will eventually come out clear and the handpiece will be well cleaned and lubricated.