As humans, we are easily attracted to a “deal” or what may seem to be a “better” deal. Like a moth to a flame, it is very hard to resist a discount or a way to save money; however, it can bite ya’ in the you-know-what.
This is what is happening with some dentists who have opted to buy shorter, private label mixing tips for extruding Kettenbach’s impression materials. They apparently were under the misconception that shorter, marginally less expensive tips also reduced costs by saving material. Kettenbach was a little confused when clinicians provided feedback that their impressions were not working quite right…an incomplete set here, an imperfection there.
After technicians troubleshot the procedure with some of those dentists, it was discovered they were not using the original tips provided by the Kettenbach, or they were not replacing the proprietary tips if they ran out (which are also available for purchase separately). The bottom line is: the Kettenbach’s tips that are packaged with each product have been specifically designed to dispense its own product. Shorter tips will not mix the material properly.
Sometimes we have to learn the hard way. It is definitely always best to use a product as it is designed. Kettenbach strongly recommends that you only use the tips that are provided by the manufacture, whichever product you are using. Kettenbach advises that it is wise to resist the temptation to use tips other than those any manufacturer recommends. Having an impression fail, whether it fails immediately or after the lab has already fabricated the restoration, is hardly worth the cost of saving a few pennies!