Diamond Milling Bur and Carbide Milling Bur

After selecting the dental materials for your CADCAM milling unit, some questions arise, what milling burs should you use for zirconia, wax, PMMA, PEEK, composite resins and lithium disilicates(E.MAX)? How many units can you mill before those burs need to be replaced? Are all burs created equal and will they work with your current milling job?

Naturally, when selecting a milling bur, the tendency is to buy a more affordable one, such as a carbide bur. Carbide burs actually work quite well with PMMA, wax and other soft materials. But you must clean your carbide burs on a regular basis to ensure optimum performance. Because milled wax and PMMA materials can potentially stick to the flutes upon cooling, it's important to remove any remaining materials from the bur tip after each job. Of course, if you're working with a material like zirconia using a carbide bur, be aware that doing so is likely to shorten the bur's lifespan.

So, if a carbide bur isn't the best choice for milling zirconia, what type of milling bur is right for the job? We recommend a diamond milling bur. Using a diamond milling bur will not only help produce high quality crowns, bridges and inlays with superb margin lines, it will extend tool longevity as well. For other tough materials, such as composite resins or hybrid ceramics, Vsun offers a set of tools that's perfect for the job.