Retipping your dental instruments is a process that extends both the life of your instruments and your budget by replacing only what is needed: the tips. Instead of discarding perfectly good handles, we remove what remains of the tips and insert new ones into the handles. This brings your instruments back to life at a fraction of the cost of buying a new instrument. Think of it like the difference between putting new brakes on your car versus buying a new car. It doesn't make much sense to buy a new car if it just needs a relatively inexpensive repair.
Absolutely. The process by which your instruments are retipped is the same process used to manufacture them, with the addition of having to remove your old tips. In any case, whether your instruments are brand-new or have been retipped, you should inspect them before each use. Be sure to check your instruments for any sign of damage or warping, especially where the tip and handle meet. We also recommend testing your blades by pressing them on a hard, sterile surface with a pressure equal to the pressure you use while working with the instrument. This can help alert you to any integrity problems your instrument may have, such as more "give" then normal or breakage. If you detect any problems, please set the instrument aside for further inspection or for service.
Currently, we can retip:
- Scalers
- Curettes
- Explorers
- Probes
- Spoon Excavators
- Carvers
- Pluggers
- Burnishers
- Plastic and Composite Instruments
- Surgical Scalers
- Surgical Curettes
- Surgical Knives
- Elevators
- Root Tip Picks
Basically, we can retip any kind of hand instrument.
A vast majority of other manufacturers' instruments are retippable. However, some instruments are unable to be retipped. Examples include instruments made from one solid piece of molded steel or those with handles that are made completely of plastic or resin.
If you have any instruments that are not retippable, do not despair! Recycle your instruments with our trade-in program made just for you.
Absolutely! Scalers and curettes are interchangeable - you can switch from one type of scaler to another, or to a curette (or vice-versa). You can also switch from any operative instrument to any other. Explorers and probes are also interchangeable. Simply separate the instruments you want retipped differently and note on your instructions to "retip as" followed by the tips you would like on your instrument. The instrument will be retipped with the design of tips you wanted and returned to you at no extra charge other than the standard retipping fee. However, please note, that the instrument's handle will still bear the name and part number of the old instrument. If this causes any issues, consider color-coding your instruments based on the type of instrument they are, or perhaps an all-out trade-in of your instruments would be appropriate.