Munce Discovery Burs have a longer, narrower, stiffer shaft design for better visibility, reduced impingement on deep walls, and positive troughing control.
Munce Discovery burs from CJM Engineering Inc in California are designed as an adjunct to ultrasonic tips for deep troughing procedures. Because of the longer-than surgical-length shaft design, according to the manufacturer, Munce Discovery burs provide better visibility than standard or even surgical length burs, and they create a less powdery dust than ultrasonic tips.
Eleven dentists participated in this Dental Product Shopper evaluation; 4 of them are endodontists. The evaluators received 34 mm long deep troughers, 31 mm long shallow troughers, and endodontic cariesectomy burs. The evaluators used the burs in their practices for 4 weeks. They rated the burs on such things as facilitation of operations on the chamber floor, stiffness of the bur shafts, and operational view using microscopes and loupes.
Facilitation of Operations on Chamber Floor
The manufacturer says that the 1 mm diameter shafts of the Munce Discovery Burs helps to facilitate operations on the chamber floor, eliminating impingement of the shaft on deep access cavity walls. The evaluators were asked to rate the burs on their facilitation of operations on the chamber floor. Five evaluators rated the burs as excellent, 5 rated them as very good, and 1 rated them as good. One evaluator said, “It was great because I could see very well.” Another evaluator described the burs as providing “very nice access and visualization.”
Stiffness of the Bur Shafts
According to CJM Engineering, the bur shafts were designed to be stiff to aid in operator control during troughing, deep exploration, and caries removal. When the evaluators were asked to rate the burs on how well the stiffness of the bur shafts facilitated positive control of the round bur heads, 4 rated them as excellent, 4 rated them as very good, and 3 rated them as good. One evaluator said that he experienced some “vibration.” A second evaluator said that he had “complete control.” A third evaluator said, “The stiffness of the bur [shafts] allows for controlled removal of decay, troughing, and directed removal of dentin when going after a separated instrument. It is what makes the Munce bur the bur of choice as opposed to [another] bur.”
Microscopes and Loupes
The evaluators were asked to rate the usefulness of coupling the Munce Discovery Burs with microscopes and loupes in facilitating an operational view corridor beyond the handpiece head. Five of the evaluators used the burs in conjunction with a microscope. Of those evaluators, 4 rated the burs as excellent and 1 rated them as very good. Six evaluators used loupes with the burs; 1 rated them as excellent and 5 rated them as very good. One evaluator said that using loupes in conjunction with the burs “worked well.”
Calcified Canals, Separated Instruments, Caries Removal
When the evaluators were asked to rate the burs’ usefulness in locating calcified canals or separated instruments or in removing caries from deep within the chamber, 6 rated them as excellent and 4 rated them as very good to good; 1 evaluator did not answer the question. One evaluator described the burs as “fantastic for deep work.” Another evaluator said the burs “really helped me out with one case in particular.” A third evaluator said, “When it comes to calcified canals, I use the Munce bur to create a platform where I can distinguish the different shades of dentin, helping me find the calcified canal.”
Overall Satisfaction
When the evaluators were asked if they would recommend Munce Dis - covery Burs to their colleagues or purchase them in the future, all 11 evaluators said definitely or probably. When asked for their overall satisfaction rating for the burs, 3 evaluators rated them as excellent, 4 rated them as very good, and 4 rated them as good. One evaluator said, “Although I still use ultrasonic tips in certain situations, I find that using the Munce burs for troughing will get me to my goal faster as long as I am using them in a controlled manner.”
