Hardened ultrasonic dental surgical tips and process

摘要

An ultrasonic dental tip that is hardened by a novel process that includes roughing the tip and then applying a metal nitride coating, such as titanium nitride (Ti-N) or zirconium nitride (Zr-N). The roughing is preferably accomplished by sandblasting the tip with a microblaster. Optionally the tip may be heat treated after it has been roughened and prior to being coated in order to further increase its hardness.