Product Evaluation

Air or electric? That is the question pondered by many dentists when selecting a handpiece, and both types have their advantages. Although he prefers “a lightweight, balanced air-driven handpiece with excellent torque,” Dr. R.J. Sondkar hadn’t quite found one that matched the power of electric. But thanks to DentalEZ and the Star 500 Elite air-driven handpiece, he no longer needs to sacrifice cutting power for control and comfort.

With an unmatched 39 watts of cutting power— twice that of most air-driven products—the Star 500 Elite rivals the performance of electric while maintaining the precision, confidence, responsive­ness, and safety of air-powered handpieces.

After using the Star 500 Elite for multiple re­storative procedures, including crown and bridge work, Dr. Sondkar described it as “very smooth and comfortable in the hand, with low vibration.” He added, “The lightweight, comfortable grip is an advantage over heavier electric handpieces, and the above-par torque is smooth and consistent in every application.”

Ultimately, Dr. Sondkar found the Star 500 Elite “well above my expectations for quality, comfort, and performance” and called it “a well-designed performance handpiece that will be a great plus to any restorative procedure.”

Power, Torque, and Speed

With speed and power designed to reduce procedure times, the Star 500 Elite effortlessly cuts dentin and tackles high-strength ceramics. “It had significantly more torque than my previous hand­piece,” said Dr. Mark Edington. “It feels great in my hands with a significant increase in procedural speed.” Dr. Marla Wilson said it “provided good torque and smoothness with quiet operation,” Dr. Christina Tran praised its “smooth cutting with no jumping burs,” and Dr. Jason Dunville “was surprised by its efficiency in cutting enamel and dentin.”

Also impressed by the handpiece’s high torque and cutting ability, Dr. Craig Ratner said he needed to learn to use the handpiece “brush style” be­cause of the increased torque. “It has high power and torque with the best cutting performance, especially with crown preparations,” said Dr. Kyaw Soe, who called it “as good as electric handpieces.”

Access, Visibility, and Ergonomics

The Star 500 Elite’s small head size facilitates access and improves patient comfort, while the cool-spectrum LED illumination offers exceptional visibility. A multi-port spray keeps the bur cool while efficiently clearing away debris; a swivel de­sign with anti-retraction valve helps prevent water backflow; and LubeFree technology cuts down on maintenance time.

Appreciating the small handpiece head, Dr. Tran said, “It was a lot easier to prep the distal of sec­ond molars and I was able to work faster,” while Dr. Dunville found it sometimes difficult for the hand­piece to access the posterior. Noting that “the head is small and the light is bright,” Dr. Carrie Niemann found the handpiece useful for cases with limited access or poor visibility. She also appreciated that “no oily residue from the lubrication process got on my mirror while prepping maxillary teeth,” and her “assistants liked that it does not require lubrication prior to sterilization.” Dr. Sondkar called it “a high-torque product with excellent fiber optics.”

With a weight of only 48 grams, the Star 500 Elite reduces hand and wrist fa­tigue while providing exceptional stability and balance. “The coupler-based hand­piece is easier on the wrist and reduced my hand fatigue by 30%,” said Dr. Rachna Surana, who also enjoyed the reduced noise. “It’s a very lightweight handpiece with great torque to reduce hand fatigue,” shared Dr. Amir Noori Esfandiari. Dr. Soe said the handpiece has “reasonable noise levels and allows for good visibility.”

Versatility

“This is an all-around, general-use, high-speed handpiece ideal for all procedures,” said Dr. Edington, who was pleasantly surprised that he “was able to use the handpiece in nearly all situations,” even in cases with limited openings that would normally require switching to a handpiece with a smaller head.

Agreeing that it’s “a great handpiece for multiple uses,” Dr. Dunville used it for “crown and bridge preparations and all operative procedures,” and Dr. Surana said, “It came in handy for multiple prep cases, including anterior veneers and bridges.”

For Dr. Ratner, “It became my go-to handpiece when removing old resto­rations,” especially zirconia and lithium disilicate. Using it mainly for restorative procedures, Dr. Tran said, “All preps for second and third molars were a lot easier,” and Dr. Wilson said it increased efficiency when prepping and smoothing resins. “It’s useful in all restorative procedures, and high torque is a plus in crown prep and crown cutting procedures,” shared Dr. Sondkar.

Although this feature was not evaluated, the Star 500 Elite is equipped with Aeras Intel RFID technology, a cloud-based, automated tracking and reporting system to manage critical data such as handpiece usage, sterilization, warranty, and mainte­nance data.

Overall Satisfaction

“The Star 500 Elite is a lightweight, well-balanced handpiece with excellent torque that handles very well in everyday dentistry,” concluded Dr. Sondkar. Dr. Surana called it “a great addition to the practice,” and Dr. Noori Esfandiari said, “The smooth cutting and light weight helps streamline long procedures.”

Predicting that this will be a very popular handpiece, Dr. Soe called it “one of the best handpieces after DentalEZ’s legendary Star 430SWL.”