A bur with features that minimize the application of substantially identical forces to the tissue against which the bur is applied. One of these features is a single groove located in a single one of the flutes. The groove is formed in the flute so as to be spaced proximally away from the distal end tip of the bur head. Another feature is that, adjacent the distal end tip of the bur head, the clearance surfaces of the flutes extend outwardly different distances from the longitudinal axis through the bur head. Another feature is that the flutes extend in a helical pattern around the bur head and the angle of the helix varies along the longitudinal axis of the bur head.
