"IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE"

Some dentists, orthodontists, and hygienists believe they are saving money by re-processing tips. This may seem true at first, but when you take a closer look it is not a simple case of buy them once and you’ll decrease your overhead.

When confronted, a hygienist will admit that tips are replaced much more frequently than you might think. Metal air water syringe tips disappear into the trash, sink, drain, and ultimately every one of them will need to be replaced due to clogging. A clogged tip means bad dentistry and outcomes that will be impacted negatively, along with the obvious sanitary aspects. The cost to replace metal air water tips can range from $5 to well over $500 depending upon the air water syringe type. The overriding factor is that the safety of the patient is far more important than possibly saving some pennies.

If a patient knew what could be lurking inside metal air water syringe tips, then there is little doubt that they would gladly pay the extra $0.25 to receive a single-use tip. But most patients don't know. And some dentists, orthodontists, and hygienists only have a vague awareness of what is going on inside the tip. Would a dentist, orthodontist, or hygienist place a visibly dirty dental instrument in front of the patient before starting treatment? No, they would not because the majority of patients would not accept.

Remember, it's what can't be seen on the inside of metal air water syringe tips that we're talking about. In some cases, metal air water syringe tips have been attached to the delivery system for 10 years or more without EVER being autoclaved.

"WHY CHANGE NOW?"

Usually this is a dentist, orthodontist, or hygienist that is stuck in their old ways. A few questions supplied will always shed some light on their misconceptions.

Back in the day, was it mandatory to wear gloves? Was it mandatory to wear a mask? No, these items were not mandatory, but as science and technology improved we learned that personal protective equipment was necessary to protect staff and patients from cross-contamination. The same goes for metal air water syringe tips.

New scientific studies have proven metal air water syringe tips are not safe, yet dentists, orthodontists, and hygienists continue to use them. As science and technologies improve, so do biofilms and viruses. New anti-biotic resistant viruses and biofilms mean we too need to create new ways of protecting ourselves. If metal air water syringe tips have been proven to have ineffective sterilization processes, doesn't it only seem right to upgrade to a safer solution?

We find it hard for a dentist, orthodontist, and hygienist to sustain their argument when proven science shows they are wrong.

"I CARE ABOUT
THE ENVIRONMENT"

The market for green products is still in it's infancy. Some dental offices claim they care about the environment, but when it comes to paying extra to get these products, all of a sudden their environmental stance seems to deteriorate.

Dentists, orthodontists, and hygienists claim they do not want to use disposable air water syringe tips because they have to throw away the tips after every patient. This in turn leads to an excess amount of waste that they feel is bad for the environment.

A dentist, orthodontist, and hygienist's number one priority should be the safety of their patient. Worrying about the environment as the forefront of their argument when they should be doing everything they can to protect their patients is a lapse in priorities. But at the same time, there are disposable air water syringe tips that are made from 100% compostable materials. These disposable air water syringe tips were created to help protect the environment while also protecting their patients.

As you can see, there are options for a dentist, orthodontist, and hygienist that are available, but again, it comes down to price. Currently a dentist, orthodontist, and hygienist will say they are all about "green" products until they see the price and fall back to their old ways. So again, there are options available for these dentists, orthodontists, and hygienist but they still choose to save a couple dollars over protecting their patients.

"I USE ORTHO WIRE"

This statement is usually said when they have no logical argument. An ortho wire is a very thin wire that some dentists and orthodontists say they have their staff use to clean a metal tip.

First off, how many dentists or orthodontists allow their hygienist to spend hours trying to physically scrape a wire through each micro-lumen of a metal air water syringe tip? Depending on the metal air water syringe tip, there could be 4-8 lumens to clean, all of which are smaller than a hypodermic needle. Imagine, after each patient, a hygienist spending valuable time sitting there scrapping through a metal air water syringe tip. Do you think an office would follow these practices after every patient? Also, everyone knows that if you can't see it, you can't clean it. We have previously discussed what happens inside of metal air water syringe tips. There is no possible way to see all the fissures and pockets where the bioburden builds up.

For arguments sake, let's assume metal air water syringe tips have been adequately sterilized. Is there a difference between sterile and sanitary? You could make a mud pie in your yard and bake it in the oven for an hour at 425 degrees thereby ensuring it is sterile. But would you want to place it on the dinner table to share with your guests? The accumulated cooked debris that has collected inside metal air water syringe tips can most definitely be dislodged into the mouth of the next patient. It is important to emphasize that it is incorrect to assume metal air water syringe tips are sterilized. The efficacy of a sterilization cycle is dependent upon many variables including the condensation of vapors on the interior walls of the syringe micro-lumens. The vapors first need to penetrate a barrier (pouch or wrap) and then enter the metal air water syringe tip through tiny holes. To achieve proper sterilization, the vapor needs to condense on the walls of the micro-lumens for a period of time. The problem is that what once started as a smooth surface inside metal air water syringe tips has over time become compromised with additional surface areas that are difficult to reach due to corrosion and debris deposits.

"FRIENDS AND FAMILY ONLY"

This argument is fundamentally wrong. When a dentist, orthodontist, or hygienist makes this statement, they are proving their belief that disposables are a safer alternative.

There are many offices that only carry a small supply of disposable air water syringe tips for specific purposes. These purposes include treatment of friends, family and high-risk patients. The rest of their patients are treated with metal air water syringe tips. How does that make you feel? If they are using these tips on loved ones and high-risk patients, why would they not choose to follow these same safety practices on you or your family? In their minds they've agreed that single-use air water syringe tips offer a higher level of safety, however, in practice they are violating your safety.

These actions also violate Universal Precautions. Universal Precautions as defined by the CDC and OSHA essentially states that all patients should be treated with the assumption that they are infected. The presumed infection could be mild like the flu virus or something much more serious. In fact, some of you reading this right now might be infected with something and not know it. Some people can be asymptomatic so they would have no reason to believe they are sick. There are other infected people that know they are carriers, but do not disclose their condition with healthcare providers.

On your next visit, please ask your dentist, orthodontist, or hygienist how he/she defines whose life is valuable enough for disposable air water syringe tips.

"I HAVEN'T KILLED ANYONE YET"

You would be surprised at the frequency in which this comment is made. Even saying this as a joke is not funny.

Infection control is a serious matter and a dentist, orthodontist, or hygienist that holds this opinion is not likely to be looking out for your best interest. If they hold this opinion of air water syringe tips, what other items do they also overlook as being a "non-issue"? For these types of dentists, orthodontists, and hygienists there are no studies, examples, or technologies that will sway them from their abrasive stance on infection control.

There have been many recent news stories that say the opposite to this argument. Patients are getting sick daily from dentists, orthodontists, and hygienists who do not follow safety protocols. The sad situation is that unless a disgruntled employee or patient raises concern, these stories are never brought to light. With the lack of mandated health inspections, a dentist, orthodontist, and hygienist are left on their own to determine their own safety protocols. Until dental offices are regularly inspected, there is no way to determine how safe a dental office really is.

If you visit a dentist, orthodontist, or hygienist who uses this argument...

RUN!