How to Choose a Diamond Bur

Three choices: grit, shape and procedure

Picking the right diamond bur comes down to three questions. Grit decides how fast it cuts and how smooth it leaves the surface. Shape decides the form of the cut and the margin it leaves. The procedure tells you which grit and shape to combine, and in what order.

All of our diamonds are made in the USA. They're friction grip (FG) single-patient burs for high-speed handpieces, sold in 10- and 25-packs.

Step 1: Choose the grit

Work from coarse to fine. Use a coarse or super coarse diamond to remove tooth structure quickly, then switch to fine or extra fine in the same shape to smooth the surface and refine the margin. Each grit is marked by a color band on the bur.

Grit

Code

Particle size (µm)

Color band

Best for

Super coarse

SC

180

Black

Fast gross reduction, sectioning, removing old restorations

Coarse

C

145

Green

Crown preps and bulk reduction

Medium

M

130

Gray

General operative work and contouring

Fine

F

100

Red

Smoothing preps and refining margins

Extra fine

XF

30

Yellow

Finishing composites and final margin polish

Not every shape comes in every grit. Our diamond bur chart shows which grits are available for each bur.

Step 2: Choose the shape

The shape decides the form of the cut. For crown and bridge work, the most important choice is the margin: a round end taper leaves a chamfer, and a flat end taper or modified shoulder leaves a shoulder.

Shape

What it's for

Order numbers

Round end taper

Crown preps with a chamfer margin; axial reduction

770.11, 771.7, 771.8, 771.10, 772.7, S772.7, 772.8, 772.10, 773.7, 773.9, 774.8, 775.7

Flat end taper

Crown preps with a shoulder margin; axial reduction

700.9, 701.9, 701.11, 702.9, 702.10, 703.8, 703.10

Modified shoulder

Rounded shoulder or heavy chamfer for all-ceramic crowns

837KR012, 850KR018

Football

Occlusal reduction, lingual of anteriors, contouring composites

275.5, 292.3, 280.5, 285.5, 369-025

Occlusal

Occlusal reduction and anatomy

230, 234

Wheel

Lingual reduction of anteriors, occlusal reduction

860, 863

Bulk reducer

Fast gross reduction

ST8

Flame

Finishing margins, feather-edge preps, composite finishing

256.9, 260.8, 260.10, 265.8, 267.8, 267.10, 270.9, 1712.8, 1712.10

Beveled cylinder

Axial reduction and beveled finish lines

250.8, 250.10, 251.8

Curettage

Gingival troughing before impressions

254SB, 257SB, 258SB, 257SC

Needle

Opening contacts, interproximal reduction, fine finishing

201.3, S1300, 1310.3, 392 016, 1314.8, 1314.10, 209.10

Depth cutter

Controlled 0.5 mm depth cuts for veneer preps

834 021

Flat end cylinder

Cavity walls and floors, inlay and onlay box forms

514.4, 541, 835-010, S835-010, 835-012, 515.5, 515.7

Round end cylinder

Inlay and onlay preps with rounded internal angles

GW2, KS0, KS1, KS2

Round

Caries removal, access openings

115, 120, 125, 135

Long surgical (24 mm)

Surgical work that needs extra reach

801L-014, 801L-023, 801L-029

Pear

Class I and II cavity preps

331, 365.4

Inverted cone

Undercuts and retention form

312, 313, 320.2

Double cone

Undercuts and retention grooves

1220, 1250

Turbo

Turbo versions of popular crown prep shapes

285.5T, 771.10T, 772.10T, 773.7T, 773.9T, 702.9T, 703.8T, 837KRT012, 850KRT018

Step 3: Match it to the procedure

These are good starting setups for common procedures. Adjust the size to the tooth and the grit to your technique.

Full-coverage crown prep

  1. Occlusal reduction: football 285.5 or wheel 860, coarse. For heavy reduction, use bulk reducer ST8.
  2. Axial reduction: round end taper 772.10, coarse, for a chamfer margin. For a shoulder margin, use flat end taper 702.10 or modified shoulder 850KR018.
  3. Finish: the same taper in fine (for example, 772.10F) to smooth walls and refine the margin.

Veneer prep

  1. Depth cuts: depth cutter 834 021 (0.5 mm).
  2. Facial reduction: round end taper 771.8.
  3. Finish: flame 260.8, fine or extra fine.

Operative and cavity prep

  • Caries removal and access: round 115 to 135.
  • Class I and II preps: pear 331 or 365.4, medium.
  • Retention and undercuts: inverted cone 312 or 313.

Composite finishing and contouring

  • Occlusal anatomy: football 285.5, fine or extra fine.
  • Margins and embrasures: flame 260.8 or 267.8, fine or extra fine.
  • Interproximal areas: needle 201.3, extra fine.

Zirconia adjustment and removal Zirconia wears out ordinary diamonds quickly. The Zirc 5 Zirconia Kit puts five burs chosen for zirconia in one set: 772.8F, 250.8F, 285.5F, 125F and 703.8F.

Gingival troughing before impressions Use curettage 257SB.

How to order

To order, give the order number, the grit code and the pack size. For example, 285.5F-25pk is the 285.5 football in fine grit, 25 per pack.

  • Regular and large head diamonds: 25 per pack.
  • Turbo diamonds: 10 or 25 per pack.

Not sure which bur fits your technique? Call us at 1-610-630-8024 or email sales@brandywinedentalsupply.com, and we'll help you choose. Or shop all diamond burs.

Source: Spring FG Single-Patient Diamonds chart, 2024.