Dental excavator PolyBur

In close collaboration with Prof. Dr. Kunzel- mann of the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, we have developed a round bur made of polymer. This bur is based on the concept of a self-limiting caries treatment developed by Dr. Daniel Bosten of the Tem- ple University, USA. In order to guarantee conservative excava- tions preserving as much hard dental sub- stance as possible, a clinical difference between to layers of dentin had to be made up to now: an outer, infected layer of dentin (which cannot be remineralised and has to be removed) and a carious inner dentin layer (which can be remineralised and should be preserved). We know now that there is no a clearly defined border between the two layers, but a diffusion pro- cess is taking place forming a gradient - away from the carious lesion towards unchanged dentin with increasing minerali- sation and hardness. Within this gradient, the dentist has to cor- rectly identify the end of the bacterial colo- nisation - a difficult task! This is where the PolyBur PI comes into its own: It is capable of determining the correct extent of the excavation all by itself! What does that actually mean? The material hardness of the PolyBur does not allow an excessive preparation. Once all soft, carious dentin has been removed, the instrument automatically blunts on hard, healthy dentin - in other words, it limits itself. Attention: The PotyBur is used in addition to conventional instruments whenever excavation is to take place in the vicinity of the pulp.