Methods for controlling and/or regulating of a compressed-gas-operable medical or dental drive device and a control and/or regulating device for performing such methods are described. In one method according to a first embodiment, a rotor of the drive device is operated at an essentially constant rotational speed (n1) by adjusting the gas pressure and/or the flow rate of the compressed gas through a valve and the rotational speed is reduced on reaching a pressure value (p2) of the compressed gas which is lower than the maximum gas pressure (pmax) of the compressed gas. In the case of a method according to a second embodiment, the gas pressure of the compressed gas and the rotational speed of the rotor are altered on reaching a rotational speed limit value (n2, n3) of the rotor by adjusting the valve.