Why doesn't your air/water syringe tip leak water in air channels like Sani-Tip® or other proprietary adapter tips?

The main reason is that none of the tips with proprietary adapters have an inner core with a stem extension that is designed to fit snugly through an O-Ring that ensures air and water separation. Without that extension, their tips must have a perfect "friction" fit center over the water channel from the syringe. It is almost impossible to have that secure fit without the stem and an O-Ring. Our tip is designed to fit into a syringe (A-dec® or DCI®) the way the syringe was manufactured - just like a metal tip.

I already agree that disposables are better, but how is your tip superior to a metal air/water syringe tip functionally?

Two primary factors.

1. Single-use (disposable) means new patient, new procedure, new tip. Since there is zero accumulated debris inside a new Crystal Tip®, you will experience very consistent spray characteristics. Metal tips degrade in performance very quickly due to re-processing between patients, and become unpredictable the longer in use.

2. Crystal Tip® can be bent during a procedure to create unique angles and shapes that improve delivery without affecting the quality of the spray. Most dental professionals find this unique feature highly advantageous.

What is the advantage of your Quad Air Core design?

Often imitated, never duplicated. Crystal Tip's® Quad Air Core design creates four perfectly formed air chambers (or lumen) surrounding a single water lumen through the entire length of the air water syringe tip. Air spray is focused for fastest drying times, and when combined with water spray the ultimate atomization is achieved. Many other tips on the market suffer from small defects and malformed lumens which cause leaks, drips, moisture problems, and inconsistent spray characteristics.

But then there's the cost factor. Disposables are more expensive than metal tips. Metal tips cost money as well. Typically $5 to $7 each. There is a cost associated with the sterilization procedures as well, and that cost rises as you reduce other metal instruments in favor of disposables. Staff time, equipment costs, materials used in the process. Almost every office reports that metal tips often get flushed down sink drains and thrown in the trash with other waste. If your new metal tip that has only been used twice is lost, that's an expensive disposable tip. Metal tips become clogged with debris and lose their effectiveness. So, if you amortize all those costs over the average life of your metal tip, the cost difference for disposables is maybe a few pennies!

Will this tip work on my syringe?

Crystal Tip® can fit almost any air/water syringe in the world. We've got you covered! Sometimes a free adapter is required, but in many cases our tip will fit your syringe without an adapter. If you're converting from a different disposable tip such as Sani-Tip®, Seal-Tight®, Pro-Tip®, or RisKontrol® then you will definitely need an adapter. Please see the ID Your Syringe section of our website to determine your specific needs.

I used disposable tips before and the stem always broke off in my syringe. Your tip won't do that? No. Our tip has a two-piece construction giving the stem more strength. Other tips are single-piece injection molded, making the stem very weak.

How long has the product been in the market?

Crystal Tip® has been around since the 1990s.

How can I be sure I am getting complete air/water separation with Crystal Tip®?

If your equipment is in good operating order, we guarantee 100% air/water separation. Crystal Tip's O-Ring tip-lock groove secures the tip into the syringe. The inner core seats perfectly into your syringe because it was designed to replace metal tips in standard dental syringes. However, 99% of all leakage issues are the result of worn O-Rings, improper installation of the tip, or from trying to insert the tip into a proprietary adapter.

I've seen some disposable air water syringe tips that are made in China and other countries, and that concerns me, especially after so many health issues have arisen from products made in China, such as lead paint, tainted dog food, etc. Where is Crystal Tip® manufactured?

We agree it is wise to be suspicious of cheap imports. There have been recent product scares with tainted dog food, infant formula, and other dangerous goods entering the marketplace. We're very proud to say that we've been making Crystal Tip® in California for over 20 years. Made in the USA using only virgin FDA-Approved medical grade plastic while adhering to strict Good Manufacturing Practices.

What are the most common problems dentists, orthodontists, and hygienists encounter when converting to Crystal Tip®?

Air/water syringe has not been properly maintained: Faulty o-rings, springs, and other parts inside your syringe will certainly cause problems unrelated to the tip being used. The good news is that we help our customers maintain their syringes by providing the most essential service items for your device.

Incomplete insertion of air/water syringe tip: To guarantee instant dry air, the tip must be pushed in all the way.

Improper insertion / removal of tip: Push the tip straight in, and pull the tip straight out. A slight rotation of the tip while being inserted / removed helps it go in and out smoothly.

Adapter required: You have a syringe set-up that requires an adapter from us. If the right connection hardware isn't there, then Crystal Tip® will not work properly. We can help you determine the correct adapter, and also provide technical assistance to ensure it is installed correctly.

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