Sterisil Straw

While dental waterline maintenance may not be the most glamorous job in the office, the downside of having dirty waterlines is equally unglamorous.

“It’s really important to test and treat your waterlines to make sure there are no bacteria and toxins in the water that could lead to infections,” said Alex Vasserman, DMD. “Especially if you’re doing a lot of oral surgeries and irrigation, the last thing you want to do is introduce harmful bacteria into your patients’ immune systems.”

But what if the dreaded chore of dropping daily shock tablets could be replaced by a worry-free solution offering continual waterline treatment for an entire year?

More Convenience, Less Time

Enter Sterisil Straw, a noncorrosive, silver-based waterline maintenance solution that features a built-in shock treatment to automatically kill odor-causing bacteria. “When we used to put tablets in the water at the end of every day, patients would complain about the taste,” Dr. Vasserman recalled. “With Sterisil Straw, those complaints have stopped." 

How It Works

Designed with a Luer Lock fitting, Sterisil Straw can be installed or replaced in just 1 minute—with a push and a twist—and is free of any odor, taste, or smell. It also eliminates the hassle of daily tablets, with 1 straw lasting for a full 365 days.

Sterisil Straw is compatible with any size dental bottle, with 2 versions available for use with either distilled or municipal water. Shock-treated water is tinted blue for easy confirmation that shock is present, and it remains in the waterlines overnight or over the weekend when operatories are not in use.

“Then, when water passes through the Sterisil Straw, its antimicrobial agents help control and reduce the bacterial growth. It’s so simple,” Dr. Vasserman said. “My hygienist found it great because we don’t need to reorder tablets all the time. Once installed, we don’t have to think about it again for a year.”

He concluded, “While tablets are needed to treat bacteria that already formed in the waterlines, Sterisil Straw filters out the bacteria as it forms to reduce the contaminants that need treating. Our water tests had good results before, but Sterisil Straw has made things so much simpler.”