Carbide burs

What are Carbide Burs?

Carbide burs are dental rotary instruments made of tungsten carbide. Tungsten carbide (WC) is a chemical compound containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms. In its basic form it is a fine gray powder, which can be pressed and sintered into shape to make industrial cutting tools and machinery parts as well as dental burs.

What are Dental Carbide Burs?

The use of tungsten carbide burs in dentistry has become very popular in recent years because they are excellent for preparing, adjusting and cutting many different materials.

Since dental carbide burs are made of a super-hard and highly resistant compound, they are ideal for cutting and drilling. Unlike diamond burs, carbide burs leave a smoother surface rather than a rough one.

Dental carbide burs are available in different types and sizes, which vary by shank, head and grit. The most popular types are inverted cone burs, straight fissure burs, straight fissure cross cut burs, tapered fissure burs, short fissure burs, Zekrya surgical burs, Lindemann burs, metal cutting dental burs, cross cut tapered fissure burs and safe-ended endo burs.

Why choose Eagle Dental Carbide Burs?

Eagle Dental carbide burs offer excellent precision and a superior finish with minimal vibration.

They are made in Israel for tighter quality control and can withstand repeated sterilization without rusting. Browse them by handpiece type in our high speed burs and slow speed burs collections, or save time with a ready-made dental bur kit.

Differences between Carbide and Diamond burs

Diamond and carbide burs differ in precision, durability and the surface they leave.

Diamond burs are more accurate and less invasive, so the dentist can reach the result with less risk of affecting the inner pulp area of the tooth.

Carbide burs are considered more durable and tend to have a longer life. They are also more resistant to heat.

If you want a smoother surface, consider working with carbide burs. Diamond burs usually leave a coarser, rougher surface.

Do you need to cut zirconia or other ceramic crowns? Consider diamond burs. With their high-speed grinding ability, they are better suited to the job than carbide burs. See our zirconia burs.

Read more in our comparison article: Dental burs comparison: Diamond vs Carbide burs.