Post your at home compressor setup

[afmoose7]

i'm interested in learning more about setting up a "lab" at home to hone in on hand skills. Anyone care to post information about their at home compressor setup they use to practice drilling/prepping teeth?

compressor information and cost would be the biggest i can think of, but any and all information is appreciated.

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[Daurang]

You're a pre-dent right? That's the last thing you shoud worry about. Go study your DAT.

 

[afmoose7]

DAT's are not everything.

But I would like to focus on my handskills as well. I have a lot of spare time, and having a compressor setup will be used when I'm in dental school anyways to study and practice, so there is no reason not to get a setup. If I wanted I could even put it on my application and bring in teeth I prepped and filled during my interview.

Therefore, if anyone has something helpful to post, please do.

 

[afmoose7]

I am studying for the DAT, I'm taking it in december, and I'm not really worried about it...taken many practice exams and while they are not a true representation of your score of the test, I feel good about it.

 

[DrJeff]

DAT's are not everything.

But I would like to focus on my handskills as well. I have a lot of spare time, and having a compressor setup will be used when I'm in dental school anyways to study and practice, so there is no reason not to get a setup. If I wanted I could even put it on my application and bring in teeth I prepped and filled during my interview.

Therefore, if anyone has something helpful to post, please do.

In all seriousness, learning to prep teeth in d-school, in the simulation lab, with your classmates (both during class and after hours) is a far superior way to learn than by yourself in your own house. Much, much, much better to have classmates to compare work to and/or bounce prep ideas/technique tips off each other(what's the use of prepping 10,20,50+ teeth solo that you may think are great all to find out when evaluated by a prof that they're cr@ppy preps??).

Fine motor skills is what, if anything you want to practice, and the same basic hand movements you make to prep a tooth with a handpiece isn't that different that you make will writing. Plus, early one, having a prof nearby to instruct you in the PROPER hand grasp technique of the handpiece makes a big difference, and as close as it gets to having 1 constant in clinical dentistry, it's how we grip the handpiece.

 

[afmoose7]

thanks for the insight, i really do appreciate you tact and reasoning. I do understand all of this, but I wouldn't just blindly prep fake teeth. I work at an admissions/student affairs office for a dental school where I'm connected with many professors that love to teach me anything and everything when they find I'm pre-dental and I also work as an assistant as a free medical/dental clinic and when the Dr.'s find out I'm pre-dent, they again love to teach. I guess maybe I'll just use the clinic's drills and practice in my spare time when a patient misses or something. Either way, I would still like to see some setups that people in dent school work with at home.

 

[DrJeff]

thanks for the insight, i really do appreciate you tact and reasoning. I do understand all of this, but I wouldn't just blindly prep fake teeth. I work at an admissions/student affairs office for a dental school where I'm connected with many professors that love to teach me anything and everything when they find I'm pre-dental and I also work as an assistant as a free medical/dental clinic and when the Dr.'s find out I'm pre-dent, they again love to teach. I guess maybe I'll just use the clinic's drills and practice in my spare time when a patient misses or something. Either way, I would still like to see some setups that people in dent school work with at home.

I think that it's a pretty safe guess that not a lot (if any) students are prepping teeth with a high speed drill at home. The amount of equipment you need is quite a lot. It's not just simply hook the drill into the output from an aircompressor and go. The air needs to be at a certain pressure to get the drill spinning. The connectors are through threaded hook ups, and without water spray, prepping most teeth (real or fake) suddenly becomes both a very difficult and very smelly event. The only real exception I could see to this would be if someone bought a multi-thousand dollar electric handpiece. The you don't need the compressed air, but you've spent a lot of $$.

Now WAXING up teeth at home, that's an entirely different story.

 

[mike3kgt]

thanks for the insight, i really do appreciate you tact and reasoning. I do understand all of this, but I wouldn't just blindly prep fake teeth. I work at an admissions/student affairs office for a dental school where I'm connected with many professors that love to teach me anything and everything when they find I'm pre-dental and I also work as an assistant as a free medical/dental clinic and when the Dr.'s find out I'm pre-dent, they again love to teach. I guess maybe I'll just use the clinic's drills and practice in my spare time when a patient misses or something. Either way, I would still like to see some setups that people in dent school work with at home.

i.e. - "I want to get a head start so I can get the highest grades from the get go because I want to get into ortho."

 

[DrJeff]

i.e. - "I want to get a head start so I can get the highest grades from the get go because I want to get into ortho."

On that note, "what do you call a dentist who can't use a handpiece???? An orthodontist!"

*note, I'm married to one of them wire bending orthodontist non handpiece using dentists

 

[jay47]

I think that it's a pretty safe guess that not a lot (if any) students are prepping teeth with a high speed drill at home. The amount of equipment you need is quite a lot. It's not just simply hook the drill into the output from an aircompressor and go. The air needs to be at a certain pressure to get the drill spinning. The connectors are through threaded hook ups, and without water spray, prepping most teeth (real or fake) suddenly becomes both a very difficult and very smelly event. The only real exception I could see to this would be if someone bought a multi-thousand dollar electric handpiece. The you don't need the compressed air, but you've spent a lot of $$.

Now WAXING up teeth at home, that's an entirely different story.

I think you could guarantee this for PREdental students, lol.

 

[Rajan247]

I think that it's a pretty safe guess that not a lot (if any) students are prepping teeth with a high speed drill at home. The amount of equipment you need is quite a lot. It's not just simply hook the drill into the output from an aircompressor and go. The air needs to be at a certain pressure to get the drill spinning. The connectors are through threaded hook ups, and without water spray, prepping most teeth (real or fake) suddenly becomes both a very difficult and very smelly event. The only real exception I could see to this would be if someone bought a multi-thousand dollar electric handpiece. The you don't need the compressed air, but you've spent a lot of $$.

Now WAXING up teeth at home, that's an entirely different story.

Actually, the equipment to setup an in home lab is pretty reasonable.

Items you need.

1. Compressor - (the silent compressors are kinda pricey) but regular compressors are kinda loud so at least a 10gal ($100)
2. Regulator ($50)
3. Rheostat ($50-100)
4. connectors ($20)
5. Hand piece (just need a high speed with no fiber optic or water) ($100-200) for an old school cheap hand piece (star)

For air you can just use the compressed air from the compressor, you dont need water if prepping on plastic teeth.

But honestly is all this hassle really worth setting up if you dont have the right instruction?- Not at all. But hey this is America, and if you want parts send me a pm.

 

[geometric-pain]

go on ebay and search for Portable Dental Turbine Units. I dont know how well they work, but they look Ok. All you need after that is a compressor, typodont and someway to hold the typodont in a reasonably anatomic way! Oh and a hand piece and burs.

 

[bigstix808]

go on ebay and search for Portable Dental Turbine Units. I dont know how well they work, but they look Ok. All you need after that is a compressor, typodont and someway to hold the typodont in a reasonably anatomic way! Oh and a hand piece and burs.

and....and....and...and....


go wax something. electric waxer ~400 for a decent one. wax is under 10, waxing tools ~30 off ebay for a full set, and then go ask some of your dentist buddies for some old crown prep casts. THAT will help you wayyy more than trying to learn how to use a hand piece on your own

 

[jay47]

and....and....and...and....


go wax something. electric waxer ~400 for a decent one. wax is under 10, waxing tools ~30 off ebay for a full set, and then go ask some of your dentist buddies for some old crown prep casts. THAT will help you wayyy more than trying to learn how to use a hand piece on your own

Electric waxer? Doesn't he just need some hand tools (~$50), a portable bunsen burner (~$20) and some teeth with a typodont (~$50)?

 

[bigstix808]

Electric waxer? Doesn't he just need some hand tools (~$50), a portable bunsen burner (~$20) and some teeth with a typodont (~$50)?

yea, but i figured if they were willing to go drop some cash on a compressor, hand piece, etc etc, then what is a little extra for a an electric waxer ... ya know

they give us alcohol torches in our kits but i refuse to wax at home (live less than 2 miles from campus) so i just use the trusted bunson burner up at the school too

 

[EggShaped]

my dad is a car mechanic and has a compressor at home.. i just wire everything from that big machine in our basement.

ok, that was a joke. I can say that NONE of the student in my whole program (now ex-program) had a lab setup at home for a head start in prepping teeth. Even if you're surrounded by dentists that want to teach you, they might be skipping steps or teaching you shortcuts that could harm your actual learning process from the classroom. Nothing is worse than teaching someone that thinks he knows more. So take that time and do something fun while you can. You'll get PLENTY of practice once you're in dental school.

If you really insist on practicing your dexterity, waxing has done wonders for me. Not only does it allow you to push your attention to details but it refines your motor skills. Even carving that soap bar for the DAT is a good start.

 

[lotexigeus]

go whittle you some wood, brah.

 

[KinKs]

While you are at it - you should practice using personal protective equipment. Its good practice - get yourself a box of latex gloves, a moisture resistant gown, a pair of goggles some masks.

ps. to make it more real you should also invest in a manikin and a dentaform. you will be way above the curve by the time you get to dental school

 

[lotexigeus]

word, you should go ahead and buy a practice.

 

[KinKs]

word, you should go ahead and buy a practice.

My girlfriend and I are currently dying - ROFL and she is not even in dental school

 

[Lurchdubious]

word, you should go ahead and buy a practice.

LOL. x2, get a practice. I mean, that's what you want to do right? Practice?


As others have said, waxing teeth, or better yet, carving teeth out of a block of wax, using dental instruments (like the half-hollenbach, Wall's carver, Cleiod-discoid, etc.) will do more for you than drilling with little instruction.

 

[IMPACT]

i'm interested in learning more about setting up a "lab" at home to hone in on hand skills. Anyone care to post information about their at home compressor setup they use to practice drilling/prepping teeth?

compressor information and cost would be the biggest i can think of, but any and all information is appreciated.

Wow..Kudos to your dental spirit! I know a lot of my friends who are applying to the international program (foreign trained dentists) and have a dental unit setup at home sometimes even with a mannequin. It helps with interview preps for California schools, columbia, UC-Denver, UTHSCSA and a few more. Perhaps you could look for manuals/videos of tooth prep/casts available to help with these or if you observed at a dental practice you coudl ask them to critique your preps.

The mannequin is perhaps the most expensive of it all but the compressor, turbine, handpieces, hand instruments, dentoform with teeth aren't that expensive. You will have to search carefully online though for a good deal.

Good Luck!

 

[afmoose7]

haha, yea I was more or less looking into a setup just to have for dent school anyways, I get to do a lot of drilling practice at the clinic I work anyways, and I'm not trying to actually be awesome at doing ideal preps, but more so to just get the overall feel of the drill down and being able to drill precisely (I drill squares, triangles, circles, ect into plastic teeth at varying depths and it has actually improved quite a bit, I'll post pics sometimes)

I think I'll hold off on a compressor setup until I get in, but I just wanted to get an idea of what others had.

I like the idea of waxing teeth. I'm going to give that a shot.

Thanks!

 

[bigstix808]

haha, yea I was more or less looking into a setup just to have for dent school anyways, I get to do a lot of drilling practice at the clinic I work anyways, and I'm not trying to actually be awesome at doing ideal preps, but more so to just get the overall feel of the drill down and being able to drill precisely (I drill squares, triangles, circles, ect into plastic teeth at varying depths and it has actually improved quite a bit, I'll post pics sometimes)

I think I'll hold off on a compressor setup until I get in, but I just wanted to get an idea of what others had.

I like the idea of waxing teeth. I'm going to give that a shot.

Thanks!

if/when you get in, you wont need a home set up. chances are you'll have access to all the lab time you want to practice until your heart's content.

way to be a gunner in your pre-dental student days though.

 

[Jagielonski]

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[Rajan247]

ok people, lots of people have been asking about setups

http://buydentalequipment.com/cart/...w-beaverstate-lab-handpiece-control-kit-p-931

This kit has the basics in regards to a home dental setup. After that a compressor and hand piece would get you up and running. This is a bare bones setup but it does the trick.