Since starting to use Gerry hand drills five months ago, they have completely taken over as my go-to instruments for caries excavation in very young, phobic, and hypersensitive patients. In a high speed high productivity private pediatric dental practice it is hard to insert change, but hand drills have aided my efficiency for all of my hardest patients and more importantly dramatically improve the patient experience. No needles, no drills; hand drills are part of the future of caries management.

Thank you Gerry for this child friendly technique and for sending me the drill holders. I started using hand drills a few weeks ago. I used it for a child with autism and for a handicapped child, but mainly for the very young ones. Without the hand drills the treatment would not have been possible. I only used hand drills very gently with two or three fingers.

In a discussion group about child-friendly dentistry, I read something that I found amazing. Gerry Beauchemin proposed to glue drills to mirror handles to make hand-drills able to access cavities without the noise and vibrations of the handpiece. So I secured a mirror handle in a vice, put some glue and stuck a carbide bur in. I made some with different diameters. Children accept them easily and I feel more comfortable than with other hand opening instruments. Access can be made on the occlusal as well as on the proximal. Carious tissue can then be excavated either with these drills or an excavator. Ideal for SMART restorations.

I remember my first phone conversation with Gerry and he mentioned making these hand grills using the bottom of a bic pen, J-B Weld cement and a dental bur. He explained how he used them and I was astonished. The use of the “Gerry” drills led, over time, to a fabrication “model” of using an X-Acto knife handle to hold the bur. I started using them at a clinic where I supervise dental students and do some clinical dentistry. It soon became clear how valuable they are. The learning curve is very short. The reciprocating rotation comes naturally to its use. They are the perfect caries remover for doing SMART restorations. They are gentle enough that you do not need any anesthesia when excavating for a SMART restoration. I urge everyone to give them a try.

Dear Gerry, I am delighted to share with you today, my first case using ‘Your’ hand drills :)) My first patient was a 26 year old male in the autism spectrum. I practice pediatric dentistry exclusively with the exception being, adults with special needs. Had it not been for the hand drills, I cannot imagine how I could have accessed the lesions. Thank you very much for such a simple yet miraculous invention! It’s beauty lies in its simplicity!