Alpen SteriX are pre-sterilized to ensure asepsis and are designed to cut faster and longer than other carbides.
When the 12 dentists who participated in this evaluation of Coltene’s Alpen SteriX carbide burs were asked for their overall impressions, one responded with “no chatter, no vibration, very sharp”, and another said, “These burs are amazingly efficient.” Both evaluators said they would definitely purchase the burs and recommend them to their colleagues.
Alpen SteriX is a comprehensive line of one-piece concentric carbides that cut faster and last longer. The burs are gamma-sterilized to ensure asepsis right out of the box.
Cutting Efficiency
Manufacturer Description: COLTENE's Alpen SteriX one-piece carbides are designed to eliminate joint breakage, cut faster, and last longer. The burs are available in friction grip, friction grip short shank, right angle latch, and operative and surgical length. Each dentist who participated in this evaluation tested a 50-pack of Alpen Sterix RC 1557 friction grip burs.
Evaluator Feedback: With comments such as “cut very effectively”, 11 evaluators rated cutting efficiency as excellent, very good, or good, with most (9) rating it as excellent. “I never really appreciated Scott Perkins' 'enamel peel' concept until I tried these”, said a North Carolina dentist who rated the burs as excellent. “Very good cutting ability”, noted a Florida dentist who said he would definitely purchase the burs and recommend them to his colleagues.
A Washington dentist who described the burs as “efficient for amalgam removal” went on to say that they “work great with WAMKey for crown removal (due to the size of the bur)” and “work better than most carbides for resin removal.”
Another dentist described the burs as “great for cutting metal, splitting old restorations.” Several evaluators provided feedback about the size/shape of the burs, including one dentist, in practice for 30 years, who noted that the “rounded end allows for composite preparation and is wider than my 330 burs.”
When asked what they'd like to see improved, a few evaluators commented on cutting efficiency, one of whom said the burs “need to be sharper”, and a few said they would have liked more sizes/types of burs.
Chatter/Vibration
Manufacturer Description: The Alpen SteriX burs are designed to operate with minimal chatter, enhancing ease of use and maximizing patient comfort.
Evaluator Feedback: “Chatter was minimal,” noted one of the 10 evaluators who rated chatter/vibration as excellent or very good. A few evaluators commented that “chatter/vibration could improve”, while a dentist in practice for 15 years reported “no chatter, no vibration, very sharp.” This same evaluator went on to note that the burs, “cut enamel/dentin smoothly with minimal patient discomfort from vibration.”
Benefit of Pre-sterilized Burs
Manufacturer Description: A brand new, non-sterile carbide can contain as many as 100 colony forming units (CFUs) at purchase. Alpen SteriX eliminates this risk and maximizes infection control with gamma sterilization, ensuring a CFU of 0 when each bur pouch is opened.
Evaluator Feedback: All 12 evaluators rated the benefit of pre-sterilization as excellent, very good, or good, and several identified this as one of the features they liked most. “Presterilization makes it a great added infection control advantage,” said a dentist who called the burs much better than similar products.
Overall Satisfaction
Ninety-two percent of the evaluators rated their overall satisfaction with the Alpen SteriX burs as excellent, very good, or good, and 75% called them much or somewhat better than similar burs. When asked what he liked most about the burs, one dentist said, “durable, pre-packaged, well-made,” and an evaluator who described the burs as “very well designed and manufactured” noted that he “used them for everyday restorative procedures for smooth, efficient, minimal friction and chatter-free cavity preparation. I'll buy them again.”
“They ran true,” said a New York dentist who rated the burs as excellent. Nine evaluators reported that they would definitely or probably purchase the burs, and 10 said they would definitely or probably recommend them to their colleagues.
