These durable crown-cutting burs are designed to smoothly and quickly cut through various substrates.
The line of crown-cutting burs from Tri Hawk has blades on top of the bur as well as on the side. This allows the burs to cut not just horizontally, but vertically too. This means, according to the manufacturer, that Talon burs cut faster than any crown-cutters. In addition, they are designed to cut through both porcelain and metal, eliminating the need for more than 1 bur.
In this Dental Product Shopper evaluation, 14 dentists rated the Talon crown-cutting burs on such features as durability, crown cutting and speed, vibration, and the ability to cut through various substrates.
Durability
Tri Hawk describes all of their burs, including Talon, as having unmatched resistance to breakage. This durability is the result of Tri Hawk’s induction welding and proprietary steel blend.
Thirteen evaluators said that durability is very important or important to them when considering the purchase of burs. The evaluators were then asked to rate the durability of the Talon burs they used in their practices for about 4 weeks. Four evaluators rated the burs as excellent, 7 rated them as very good, and 3 rated them as good.
Crown Cutting Effectiveness and Speed
According to the manufacturer, a single Talon bur can be used for crown preparation, cutting, and removal, rather than having to use 3 separate burs. In addition, the unique hyperbolic (hourglass) shape increases the burs’ cutting speed. According to Tri Hawk, Talon burs cut as fast during the last 10 seconds of a procedure as during the first 10 seconds.
When asked to rate the crown cutting effectiveness of the Talon burs, 7 evaluators rated them as excellent, 4 rated them as very good, and 3 rated them as good. With regard to cutting speed, 5 evaluators rated Talon burs as excellent, 6 rated them as very good, 2 rated them as good, and 1 rated them as fair.
Four evaluators listed cutting speed as one of their favorite features of the Talon burs. An evaluator from Nashua, NH, who rated both cutting speed and crown cutting effectiveness as excellent, said the burs “cut fast, don’t clog and then skip, bite into the crown material as you move from porcelain to metal.” An evaluator from Eugene, OR, said, “My number 1 use for this bur would be to remove existing crowns. When used with an electric handpiece, the bur was very effective.” She went on to say that it is “much nicer than having to use 2 burs…more effective and efficient as well.”
While Talon is a crown cutting bur, evaluators were also asked to rate its effectiveness in cavity preparation. Surprisingly, 9 evaluators rated the bur as excellent to good in this regard.
Vibration
When asked about the amount of vibration they experienced when using the Talon burs, 4 evaluators rated the burs as excellent, 4 rated them as very good, 4 rated them as good, and 2 rated them as fair. Three evaluators said they would like to see chatter/vibration reduced with the burs while 3 others called lack of vibration as the feature they liked most. One evaluator noted: “Smooth cutting, vibration free, and minimal stress to the handpiece turbine.”
Cutting Through Various Substrates
When asked about the effectiveness of the Talon burs in cutting through various substrates, 7 evaluators rated them as excellent, 5 rated them as very good, and 2 rated them as good. An evaluator from Marina del Rey, CA, said, “The burs are great for titanium implant abutment preparation and great for non-precious crown splitting on endo teeth.” Another evaluator said, “The talon burs worked great when removing amalgam fillings. They also worked great when removing PFM crowns as well as full gold crowns.”
Overall Satisfaction
Ten evaluators said they would definitely or probably recommend Talon crown-cutting carbide burs to colleagues and purchase them in the future. When asked about their overall satisfaction with the Talon burs, 3 rated them as excellent, 8 rated them as very good, and 3 rated them as good to fair. An evaluator from Arlington Heights, IL, summed up his experience with the Talon burs, saying, “Great bur for cutting crowns, removing amalgam fillings. [I would like] to see other burs in their lineup. Thanks for allowing me to review your product!”
