Abstract: A dental burr holder comprising a holder body adapted to rest on a support and having a smooth, upper surface interrupted by a plurality of upwardly opening burr receiving apertures, and a member projecting generally upwardly from the holder body and having a smooth front surface which faces across the upper surface of the holder body. These two surfaces form a background which color contrasts with the burrs and against which the burrs are viewed. The background is continuously color contrasting and is substantially visually uninterrupted except for the burr receiving apertures. This structure allows quick and accurate selection of the desired burr silhouetted against the contrasting background, and also makes the problem of detecting damaged or imperfect burrs easier. With dark colored burrs, a white background is preferred.