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Perfectly maintained in just 10 seconds

Product Manager Christian Lechner and the new Assistina TWIN for efficient lubrication
Product Manager Christian Lechner and the new Assistina TWIN for efficient lubrication

Proper maintenance makes an enormous contribution to preserving the proper function of dental handpieces for longer and extending their service lives.

With the new Assistina TWIN, W&H is now offering a new automatic handpiece maintenance device, which optimally supports the efficient reprocessing workflow in dental practices. Designed for use in small practices and dental clinics alike, the new W&H device has all the requirements of seamless handpiece maintenance perfectly covered.

The Assistina TWIN oils all the rotating parts and cleans the spray channels perfectly in just 10 seconds. The device is equipped with two chambers, meaning the service process can be performed entirely without interruptions for the first time ever and unnecessary waiting times are now a thing of the past. We interviewed Christian Lechner, W&H Product Manager for Reprocessing and Infection Control, for an insight into the product development and the particular advantages the Assistina TWIN offers users.

Mr Lechner, could you give us a brief history of W&H’s activities in the field of hygiene and maintenance:

Lechner: W&H launched the first automatic handpiece maintenance device on the market back in 1992: the Assistina 301plus . Whereas other manufacturers only offered servicing with an oil spray can, the new W&H product was the first to allow fully automated oil dosing and complete cleaning of spray channels.

As the years went by, customers began to focus more and more on cleaning alongside the oil service. In response, W&H introduced the two cleaning and maintenance devices Assistina 3x2 and Assistina 3x3 in 2013. Whilst the Assistina 3x2 allowed validated cleaning of the interior of the spray channels and the gearing components as well as supporting the lubrication, the Assistina 3x3 also ensured validated cleaning of the exterior. As such, W&H was able to set a new benchmark in the field of hygiene and maintenance once again.

In the reprocessing of dental handpieces, the lubrication always represents a critical bottleneck before the instrument set can be packaged and sterilized. The task of the new Assistina TWIN is now to optimise this step considerably. Thanks to an innovative use concept, users can now perform the handpiece maintenance process quickly, efficiently and without any downtime at all.

Can you give us a couple of insights into the new Assistina TWIN?

Lechner: The aim of our product development was to design a device which is easy to use and cost-effective. In addition, it should be possible to perform the handpiece maintenance process as rapidly as possible. The safety aspect also plays an important role as dangerous aerosol mists can form when using spray disinfectants, oil spray cans and some automatic handpiece maintenance devices; such mists must not be inhaled under any circumstances. Additional attention was also paid to optimised oil and cleaning solution consumption.

For Christian Lechner the Assistina TWIN is one of the most cost-effective solutions available on the market thanks to its technical innovations.

Our development engineers managed to design a new method for introducing oil into dental handpieces, which makes it possible to optimise considerably both the cycle duration and the quantity of oil and cleaning solution required. Thanks to these technical innovations, the Assistina TWIN is now one of the most cost-effective solutions available on the market in terms of the reprocessing costs per dental handpiece.

What significance does the new service device take on, in the hygiene cycle of dental practices?

Lechner: A subsequent handpiece maintenance is absolutely essential when using washers and disinfectors such as the Miele thermo washer disinfector. With the Assistina TWIN this can be performed considerably more cost-effectively, safely and quickly than with comparable automated solutions and conventional oil spray cans. The Assistina TWIN allows the practice team to transfer the handpieces to the subsequent packaging and sterilization stages in next to no time. The aim is to make handpieces available for subsequent treatments in the practice as soon as possible.

In the interview the W&H product manager explained the innovative dual-chamber system, which allows a handpiece maintenance process completely free of interruptions for the first time ever.

What new functionalities and customer advantages does the new Assistina TWIN offer compared with existing solutions on the market? Who is the new W&H device aimed at?

Lechner: The Assistina TWIN is the first automatic handpiece maintenance device with a service process lasting just 10 seconds. During this time the spray channels are flushed with cleaning solution and dried with compressed air, plus all gearing components are perfectly serviced with W&H Service Oil. The device is equipped with two chambers used alternately, to allow a very short and interruption-free handpiece maintenance process. The two chambers can be equipped with any adaptors of your choice, allowing customised and flexible working for your practice team.

The W&H device is equipped with a HEPA filter (high efficiency particulate air filter), which filters bacteria, viruses, dusts, aerosols, smoke particles, etc., out of the air. Any aerosol mists developing during the maintenance process are captured by fans and filtered out. This ensures that only clean air emerges from the device. Yet another highlight of the Assistina TWIN is the simple operation, which requires the pressing of just one button. Time-intensive device training sessions are thus no longer necessary. All the consumables are offered in the Assistina TWIN Care Set. The cartridges (cleaner and oil) and the HEPA filter can be replaced very easily without the need for any tools at all.

As the Assistina TWIN can also cope with very high instrument volumes, the W&H device is suitable for both dentists with their own practices, who require the handpiece to be ready for use in a very short period of time, as well as for large practices and clinics.

To conclude, could you explain how the product fits into the W&H portfolio and how you personally see the future of reprocessing solutions at W&H?

Lechner: Together with the Assistina 301plus and the W&H Service Oil F1 oil spray, the new Assistina TWIN rounds off W&H’s oil service portfolio optimally. Despite being on the market for more than 25 years already, our Assistina 301plus is still an integral part of our range, as it offers an optimal solution for practices with small to medium-sized instrument volumes. Together with our Assistina 3x2 and 3x3, the Assistina TWIN completes our comprehensive, high-quality W&H portfolio of service devices.

Thank you for your time!

Cartridges (cleaner and oil) plus HEPA filter can be replaced by the practice team very easily without the need for any tools at all.

Ing. Christian Lechner
W&H Product Manager for Reprocessing and Infection Control

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