Terms Map Contact Us About Us Home Dental Applications Burs Used in Dentistry Bur Applications in Dental Practices and Dental Laboratories Burs Used in Dentistry Dentists and dental laboratory technicians use a variety of rotary instrument burs in both the dental office and the dental laboratory. The burs are manufactured to fit various handpieces and may be made from steel or carbide, or they may have diamond-coated tips. Burs come in many shapes, each of which is used for a different purpose. While dental burs are used to work on human teeth or bone, laboratory burs are used to work on acrylic materials, such as dentures and partials, or plaster, metal, or stone materials. Abrasives also have a place in the dental office or dental laboratory. They may be mounted or unmounted and are made from silicon carbide, high-grade corundum or diamond grit. Abrasive discs are used to polish and smooth material, are flexible or rigid, and may be grit-coated on one or both sides. Diamond grit may be used as a coating or it may be embedded into the bur or disc. These are known as sintered diamond instruments. Bur Applications in Dental Practices and Dental Laboratories The following chart describes some of the various dental bur applications. TYPE USE Excavating Bur round open cavity remove carious tooth structure open tooth for endodontics pear open/extend cavity prep remove dental decay inverted cone remove caries make retention prep undercuts Preparation Bur fissure-plain or crosscut cylinder form cavity walls place retention grooves in walls fissure - tapered angle wall cavity preparation amalgam removal wheel form retention in preps cylinder crown preparation cylinder - end cutting crown shoulder preparation diamond - many shapes crown prep tooth reduction Inlay Bur cylinder restorations wheel grooving Surgical Bur many shapes cut tooth or bone structure Finishing Bur many shapes smooth, trim, and finish restorations Laboratory (Vulcanite) Bur cutters - many shapes cut acrylic, plaster, metal wax-round milling Abrasives mounted stones - many shapes polishing and smoothing disc shape grinding and cutting Polishers silicone - mounted or unmounted polishing Advanced Search Home Featured Products Busch Burs Horico Diamonds Edenta Polishers Instruments Miscellaneous Applications Dental Jewelry Making Pavé Stone Setting Hobby Podiatry Bur Shapes © 2002-2021 Pfingst & Company, Inc. • 105 Snyder Road • South Plainfield, New Jersey 07080 • USA 908-561-6400