1. A dental handpiece including a collet for holding a workpiece, means for operating the collet in response to applications of a translational force, spring means for generating said force, and force transmitting means intermediate the spring means and the collet operating means permitting intermittent transfer of the force to the collet operating means, said force transmitting means comprising: a. forward and rear piston means defining a movable, but confining volume between the spring means and the collet operating means; and b. a solid, non-fluid, non-compressible, but deformable gel fully occupying said confining volume, whereby intermittent applications of translational force, applied to the rear piston means by the spring means, are transmitted through the gel by the forward piston means to the collet operating means.

4. In a dental handpiece: a. a housing; b. a sleeve rotatably mounted within the housing and having a collet camming surface on the front end of the sleeve; c. a collet slidably mounted within said sleeve, said collet having a bore for receipt of a workpiece and resilient jaws cooperating with the collet camming surface to grip the workpiece when the collet is urged forward in the sleeve; d. a collet operating shaft slidably mounted within said sleeve, said shaft engaging the collet at one end and having a forward piston means at the opposite end; e. rear piston means rearwardly spaced from said forward piston means within the sleeve and defining an internal chamber between said piston means; f. a solid, non-fluid, non-compressible, but deformable gel fully occupying the volume of said chamber; and g. spring means urging said rear piston means and gel forward to urge the collet forward and compress the collet jaws.