My old drill bit habit cost me two crowns, now I replace them monthly

For years I used to run my carbide burs until they were dull as butter, thinking I was saving money. Last spring in Columbus, I had two patients in one week where the bur grabbed and chipped their enamel, and both needed crowns. That was a $600 mistake out of my own pocket after lab fees, not counting the awkward phone calls. Now I replace every multi-use bur after 20 patients, no exceptions, and I track it on a simple tally sheet. The difference in cutting feel is dramatic, smoother and way less vibration, which patients notice too. My assistant thought I was being wasteful at first, but she saw the crown count drop to zero since. Has anyone else had a similar hidden cost from trying to stretch dental supplies past their safe life?

2 comments

2 Comments

vera_green6921d ago

Did you ever notice how much easier it is on your hands too? I had the same thing happen, not with crowns but with a patient who felt every bit of vibration and started complaining. I was stretching my diamonds way too long just to save a few bucks, and it took one bad experience for me to switch to a strict schedule like yours. Now I just mark a little dot on the bag with a sharpie every time I use it, and once it hits ten, out it goes. It felt wasteful at first, but honestly the peace of mind alone is worth it, and my patients have stopped mentioning that weird chatter feeling altogether.

abbyhall20d ago

Stick with that sharpie trick, @vera_green69 nailed it. I started doing the same thing after a patient nearly jumped out of the chair on an old diamond. It's funny how saving a few bucks on a bur suddenly costs you way more in patient trust and redoing half the prep. The vibration chatter is a dead giveaway too, I swear some folks can feel it the second it starts dulling. Now I just toss them on the tenth use and don't even think twice about it.