The paper aims to assess the wear and damage/failure of a dental bur, addressing the concept of its durability and reliability. A series of elements that underlie the occurrence of the wear and failure phenomenon are highlighted, considering the operating life of dental burs and the conditions imposed by the environment. The paper synthesizes the issues of degradation mechanisms and the effects they have on the active part of dental burs, on dental materials used in dental laboratories. Some theoretical aspects, state of tensions and strains, respectively, functional parameters in the work process were identified, and one of the ways of evaluating the wear and failure of the active part of a dental bur.