The Maxima PRO 2AR handpiece incorporates aerosol reduction and anti-retraction features, helping dentists reduce the risk of viral and bacterial sprea,To say that Dr. Richard Siegel “likes” the Maxima PRO 2AR handpiece would be an understatement. “I love it!” the Marco Island, FL, dentist enthused,
adding that he had just finished using the high-speed, air-driven handpiece to prepare another crown for a patient. “I bought 4 of them. It’s the only handpiece I use now.”,The Maxima PRO 2AR is an extension of the Maxima Pro 2 handpiece line from Henry Schein Brands—whose commitment to innovation means bringing to market new and differentiated products with an emphasis on quality and value. The Maxima PRO 2AR is specifically engineered for aerosol reduction and anti-retraction. Both protections are particularly important as practices continue to take precautions amid COVID-19, but they also help to reduce the spread of other viruses and bacteria. While Dr. Siegel appreciates the importance of those features, he values the handpiece even more for its high power and low noise.,“Torque—that’s what I like the best. When I start a crown prep, I like to go! I don’t want the handpiece in the patient’s mouth any longer than it needs to be,” he said. And with the Maxima PRO 2AR’s 20 W of power, Dr. Siegel has found ample torque to tackle even the toughest cases.,“Noise—that’s the next best thing,” he said, noting he’s had 36 years in the dentist’s chair. “At this point in my career, the quieter, the better. This is the quietest air-driven handpiece. It’s not screaming in my ear all day long.”,The handpiece—which features a small but powerful head and an enhanced ergonomic design—earned a high rating from DPS evaluators during a recent product review, with many of the dentists sharing Dr. Siegel’s opinions.,“You usually give up power and torque for smaller handpieces,” Robin Henderson, DDS, noted in her evaluation. Not so with the Maxima PRO 2AR. “I was able to work significantly faster with this handpiece, both in terms of cutting efficiency and the small size, allowing for much improved access to areas that would ordinarily slow me down.” She added, “I always want to cut as efficiently as possible to save time and prevent undue trauma to the tooth, and this handpiece is very effective and efficient.”,Other evaluators also liked its smaller head, brighter light, and more focused spray. Rita Kapmarski, DDS, said the “great illumination, diminished spray angle, and less sloppy water” solved her previous issues with other handpieces having weak lights or wide spray areas. She called it “a gold-standard handpiece.”,
, ,“Torque—that’s what I like best. When I start a crown prep, I like to go!” ,– Richard Siegel, DDS, ,Like most clinicians, Dr. Siegel spends more time with his handpiece than with any other instrument, which is why he’s tried out so many over the years. While he has found electric handpieces to run too slowly for his needs in a practice that specializes in crowns, the clinician noted he has also had issues with air-driven handpieces being larger and noisier. The Maxima Pro 2AR, he said, combines the best of both, with the higher power of an air-driven and the smaller head and quieter operation of an electric. “That’s good for the patient and good for my practice,” he added. Other important features of the Maxima Pro 2AR include:,Reducing airborne particles and preventing a handpiece from cross-contaminating the air and water lines are key steps in reducing risk of virus transmission. These have always been important concerns in dental offices, but have come to the forefront in the age of COVID-19. The Maxima Pro 2AR is specifically engineered for aerosol reduction and anti-retraction.,The Maxima Pro 2AR reduces airborne micro-droplets by more than 90% compared to typical high-speed, air-driven handpieces, according to Henry Schein. It even performs better than 1:5 electric handpieces. The average reduction was based on Henry Schein tests conducted in an aerosol-testing chamber and measured by laser-light scattering photometry.,The Maxima Pro 2AR prevents suck-back of fluid and particles through an active sealing system that reduces suck-back pressure to nearly zero, thus reducing the risk of cross-contamination, according to Henry Schein. When it comes to potential cross-contamination of air and water lines in a handpiece, the ADA cites guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Although no epidemiologic evidence implicates these instruments in disease transmission, studies of high-speed handpieces using dye expulsion have confirmed the potential for retracting oral fluids into internal compartments of the device,” the CDC warns. An anti-retraction valve, such as that engineered into the Maxima Pro 2AR, is effective in mitigating this risk, although the CDC recommends clinical safety procedures such as discharging the lines for 30 seconds after each patient as the standard of care.
