Carbide vs. Diamond Burs

[Ostracized]

Hey all. I'm a second-year dental student. We have been taught to use carbide burs for intra-coronal preps and diamond burs for extra-coronal, but I find myself prefering diamond burs all around. Is there any reason not to use diamond burs to prepare amalgam/composite cavities, provided the dimensions of the bur were correct for the prep?

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[iLuvDAT]

diamonds are much more expensive than carbide. my question would be the exact opposite though. Can we use a bur like 55L for crown prep?

 

[The Hammer]

The reason most people use diamonds for crown preps is that they are coarser than most carbides and they don't "chatter" as much on enamel if they are dull. There are some carbides like piranah's that are for quick reduction but by and large most dentist still use diamonds. It really is a personal preference which type you use. The only instance that I can think of where you would have to use a carbide would be removable of decay. Other than that I think it is pretty much up to you

 

[Ostracized]

Ahh! I guess I hadn't considered cost since we don't pay for burs.

 

[DrJeff]

The only things I use carbides for in my practice are low speed, latch, round burs for caries excavation/pulpotomies (occasionally - most of the time it's all done via high speed) or every now and then to cut through the metal substructure of a crown.

Diamonds are a bit more expensive, sure, but to me atleast they're a far better performing bur than a carbide (in efficiency of tooth removal) which let's me do better dentistry quicker and as a result with less trauma to the tooth. When you can do what IMHO is a better job, quicker, that's worth the overall nominal increase in my offices overhead

 

[The Hammer]

The only things I use carbides for in my practice are low speed, latch, round burs for caries excavation/pulpotomies (occasionally - most of the time it's all done via high speed) or every now and then to cut through the metal substructure of a crown.

Diamonds are a bit more expensive, sure, but to me atleast they're a far better performing bur than a carbide (in efficiency of tooth removal) which let's me do better dentistry quicker and as a result with less trauma to the tooth. When you can do what IMHO is a better job, quicker, that's worth the overall nominal increase in my offices overhead

Exactly. I've tried the "crown prep" carbides but a diamond just preps quicker. But I've used Microcopy diamonds and carbides for years and cost wise they are about $1.50-2.00 a piece so cost wise there isn't much difference.

 

[DrJeff]

Exactly. I've tried the "crown prep" carbides but a diamond just preps quicker. But I've used Microcopy diamonds and carbides for years and cost wise they are about $1.50-2.00 a piece so cost wise there isn't much difference.

The "bur drawer" in every one of the doctors ops in my office is filled with 16 boxes of different shaped microcopy burs - 15 of those boxes are diamonds of differing shapes/grits, and 1 of those boxes is of a #329 carbide. Quick and efficient cutting at a reasonable price makes them great disposable burs

 

[KlingonDentist]

Diamond all the way.
Diamonds for cl 1,2,3,4,5 preps.and crowns. i use 256 diamond to cut cl 2,3 preps.
i'll never go back to carbide. I even use fine superfine diamonds to finish my compaosites not those pesky carbides that rust and dull quick after autoclaving.

 

[dr37]

what do the students use at dental school?
Diamond burs or carbide ones?

 

[The Hammer]

Diamond all the way.
Diamonds for cl 1,2,3,4,5 preps.and crowns. i use 256 diamond to cut cl 2,3 preps.
i'll never go back to carbide. I even use fine superfine diamonds to finish my compaosites not those pesky carbides that rust and dull quick after autoclaving.

You know I never used carbides to finish my composites, I've tried a couple of times but just didn't like it. I use superfine diamonds for finishing composites, crown preps, adjusting porcelain and doing occlusal equilibrations. I will occasionally use a 57 or 58 and of course all the round burs are carbides but thats it

 

[DrJeff]

You know I never used carbides to finish my composites, I've tried a couple of times but just didn't like it. I use superfine diamonds for finishing composites, crown preps, adjusting porcelain and doing occlusal equilibrations. I will occasionally use a 57 or 58 and of course all the round burs are carbides but thats it

Yup, superfine diamonds and or sof-flex discs for essentially all my finishing work. The only exception is when I'm adjusting (or even worse, cutting through) a Zirconia crown. That stuff just ridiculously hard and pretty much just laughs at your standard finishing bur grit

 

[The Hammer]

Yup, superfine diamonds and or sof-flex discs for essentially all my finishing work. The only exception is when I'm adjusting (or even worse, cutting through) a Zirconia crown. That stuff just ridiculously hard and pretty much just laughs at your standard finishing bur grit

I use a coarse cross cut 1116.8 diamond and lots of water

I'll tell you what I hate even more than zirconia and that is a really thick non-precious crown Makes me want to break out an acetylene torch

 

[TheColorPurple]

Hey all. I'm a second-year dental student. We have been taught to use carbide burs for intra-coronal preps and diamond burs for extra-coronal, but I find myself prefering diamond burs all around. Is there any reason not to use diamond burs to prepare amalgam/composite cavities, provided the dimensions of the bur were correct for the prep?

Typodont teeth are comparably softer than natural teeth hence IN SCHOOL we use carbide burs on intra-coronal preps for conservative approach on Class IIs, class Is, outline form etc. Extra-coronal preps need heavy reduction, time-consuming, and yet not as critical (except maybe for the margins) as intra-coronal preps hence the need for diamond burs.

 

[dr37]

Hi, plz pardon my ignorance..

I went to D-school out of united states and I m trying to get to a school here..
I have no idea about what numbers you are using with burs..like 57, 58, 1116.8....

where can I read about this numbering systems and classification of burs?

Thanks.

 

[The Hammer]

Hi, plz pardon my ignorance..

I went to D-school out of united states and I m trying to get to a school here..
I have no idea about what numbers you are using with burs..like 57, 58, 1116.8....

where can I read about this numbering systems and classification of burs?

Thanks.

Go to the Brassler catalog. You can look up burs and see what they look like and their dimensions.

http://www.brasselerusa.com/brasseler_flash_intro_1024.html

 

[The Hammer]

Typodont teeth are comparably softer than natural teeth hence IN SCHOOL we use carbide burs on intra-oral preps for conservative approach on Class IIs, class Is, outline form etc. Extra-oral preps need heavy reduction, time-consuming, and yet not as critical (except maybe for the margins) as intra-oral preps hence the need for diamond burs.

Extra-oral preps? If you're prepping teeth extra-orally you're doing it wrong

 

[TheColorPurple]

Extra-oral preps? If you're prepping teeth extra-orally you're doing it wrong

haha what was i thinking? nope i wasnt thinking, thanks Hammer

 

[KlingonDentist]

Trust me you'll have alot of control with diamonds pun intended but also seriously speaking my preps are so much smoother in the internal and the margins too.

Do yourself a makeover and be a smoother man. pun intended.

 

[KlingonDentist]

I also use White stone on high speed to polish composites, porcelain and enamel all in one, efficent. Rarely If more polish needed then use rubber cups/points.

 

[dentstd]

Carbides leave a nice polished surface. We don't want this, because it doesn't cement as well (theoretically, anyway). Diamonds leave a rougher surface, while medium grit diamonds leave more rough surfaces than the course grit. Thus, medium grit diamonds are, from an academic view, more ideal than the course grit.

It doesn't matter as much for intracoronal restorations, because etching creates a rough surface, and you can converge the walls to lock the restoration in.