A dental piezoelectric ultrasonic magnetic switching scaler handpiece is activated by magnetic means. The dental piezoelectric scaler handpiece includes a housing that contains a fixed magnet and a magnetically activated switch. An activation magnet longitudinally slides along the outside of the housing from a de-energized position to an energized position. The activation magnet is biased to the de-energized position by the fixed magnet. When a user moves the activation magnet away from the fixed magnet and toward the magnetically activated switch, the magnetic field of the activation magnet activates the magnetically activated switch and turns the dental scaler handpiece on.