Dentist drill and its ISO Codes

Dentist burs are dental instruments used by dentists for precise cutting, polishing and grinding of the teeth. They are used in rotating dental tools, such as airrotors ,handpieces, and contra angles. There are different types of burs specifically designed for various dental applications. We will tell you more about the different types, shapes, sizes and grain types in particular. Read on to learn more about the application of dental drills and their ISO codes.

ISO Coding and construction of the dental drill

Every dental drill has a unique ISO code to make a clear distinction between the different types and types. An ISO code is a worldwide accepted numbering system with a logical structure.

Dental burs consist of three different parts, namely the shaft, the neck and the head. The shaft is the part that is inserted into the device. The neck connects the shaft to the head. The head is the finished part, with which you can polish, cut or grind a tooth and/or bone. As an example we take the SDTR-14 .

ISO code of the drill: 806.314.199.524.022

We can decompose the ISO Code as follows:

A. 806 – Material type

B. 314 – Shaft Type and Length

C. 199 – Headpiece shape

D. 524 – Color indicates grain type

E. 022 – Widest diameter of the headpiece

A. Material of the drill

The composition of dental burs is critical. In the past they were made of steel, but today new materials have entered the market that offer better cutting properties and greater durability. We can distinguish two main types: the diamond bur and the carbide bur .

Diamond drill (ISO 806)

Diamond is the hardest natural material known to man and is therefore the material of choice when it comes to abrading the hardest tissue in the human body: tooth enamel. Diamond drills have a steel shank and an active part coated with diamond powder.

Carbide drill (ISO 500)

Tungsten carbide dental burs ( carbide burs ) are becoming the replacements for the older steel burs. Tungsten carbide has three times the stiffness of steel and is very efficient, but also very durable due to its excellent wear-resistant properties.

B. Classification of dental burs according to their shank

We can easily classify the drills into three types. There are differences in the size, speed and functions of these drills. Each type is operated with a different type of equipment.

Turbine Drilling (ISO 3XX)

These are the fastest rotating dental burs. This means that it must meet certain special specifications. The end of the drill has a smooth finish. The diameter of the shaft is 1.6 mm. These burs are also known as high speed burs, high rotation burs or FG burs. FG is an abbreviation of Friction Grip, friction grip drills. They also exist in FGM (Friction Grip Mini) or FGL (Friction Grip Long), which are FG drills with a different shank length.

Angle drilling (ISO 2XX)

The drill bits for the corner pieces have a diameter of 2.35 mm. Usually the drills have a notch on the unused end. These burs are also known as RA burs (RA burs), CA Burs (CA burs) or low-speed burs (Low speed burs).

Handpiece Drills (ISO 1XX)

The burs for the handpiece have a shank diameter of 2.35 mm. These drills are longer than the other drills. The handpiece burs are also called HP bur (HP drill) or bur for right handpiece (Drill for right handpiece).

C. Classify dental burs according to their shape

Dental drills have different types of heads for different types of applications. The range of head shapes is very wide. Sordent has most of these shapes in stock, a list of dental chuck shapes can be seen below.

• BR – Ball shaped
• CR - Inlay Preparation
• SF - Straight with flat tip
• SO - Straight with pointed tip
• TC – Taper Cone point
• RS – Round Shoulder
• FO – Flame-shaped with pointed tip
• SR – Straight Convex point
• WR - Round Wheel
• TR – Taper Bol point
• TF – Taper Flat point
• EX – Special Form

D. Classification of dental burs according to their grain size

The grain size determines the coarseness of the dental burs. The colored ring on the drill shows the coarseness of the grains. This is standardized by the ISO numbers. In the table below you can see how you can distinguish the different grain sizes.

E. Classification of dental burs by head diameter

The last 3 digits of the ISO code of the dental drills indicate the maximum diameter of the working part of the drill. In our example, the last three digits of the ISO Code is: 022. This means that the maximum diameter of the end is 2.2 mm.

Easily find the right drill

Understanding the ISO coding helps to find the right type of drill. Although there are different types and brands of drills on the market, the ISO coding remains the same everywhere. Sordent has made it possible to easily filter for the right type of drill. Click here to view all drills. Here you can easily filter for the right type of drill you need! If you have any further questions about dental drilling, you can always contact us.

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