A unique mixing tip with colored wings to ensure a secure connection
Dr. Michael Teitelbaum was content with the mixing tips he’d been using for years in his practice—until he was asked to evaluate Dentazon/DXM’s DX-Mixer HP Mixing Tips for this Dental Product Shopper evaluation. After using the new tips, he realized that his previous dental mixing tips were not nearly as effective and efficient.
“I have not seen anything like these,” Dr. Teitelbaum shared. “The fins on [the Dentazon/DXM] tips are impressive,” he said, adding that the grips are much easier to use than regular tips, making him feel more confident. “This is one of those products that, until you actually see it, feel it, and use it, you can’t believe how superior it is,” Dr. Teitelbaum noted. Because the tips are easy to mix, connect, and dispense, Dr. Teitelbaum and the rest of our evaluators deemed the DX-Mixer tips a Best Product.
Colored Wings and Storage
The DX-Mixer HP Mixing Tips are available in 7 sizes, and 4 of them feature colored wings. For mixing all viscosities of VPS and bite registration material, the tips with colored wings are offered in Heavy Body (6.5 mm, teal green), Light Body (4.2 mm, yellow), Crown & Bridge (1:1 ratio, blue), and Crown & Bridge (4:1/10:1 ratio, blue & orange). Dentazon/DXM also offers 3 types of tips for mixing cement and core material—Temporary Cement Short (3.9 cm, brown), Temporary Cement Long (5 cm, brown), and Core Material (3.5 cm, brown). All tips are universal and interchangeable with other dental mixing tips.
“The bright colors distinguish the tips easily,” shared Nicole Burke, EFDA. A North Carolina dentist said, “The organization by color is very helpful for the dentist and assistant.” She found that the shorter tips waste less material, and that the slimness and length of the mixing tip as well as the intraoral tip made it easier to get the impression done cleanly and evenly.
Several dentists praised Dentazon/DXM’s dispenser, gun holder, and storage box. Dr. Matthew Giunta said, “The dispenser and gun holder that came with these tips greatly improved our operatory organization.” Dr. Nadim Baba called it a very ergonomic and user-friendly organizing box, and Dr. Teitelbaum said the gun holder “is a remarkable bit of engineering” that saves space and looks cool. “It would be great if there was a way to screw it onto the side of a cabinet or wall in the operatory, so it would be within reach, but off of counter space,” he suggested.
Secure Connection of Tip
The DX-Mixer tips connect to most 50 ml dual-barrel HP cartridges, and each tip for impression material is equipped with wings located at the handle to ensure an easy and secure connection. According to Dr. William Simon, the wings aid in tightening the tip onto the cartridge, and the clear attachment area helps to insert the tip on to the cartridge. Dr. Ronald Widen agreed that the thumb grips allow for easy insertion and removal of the mixing tips, and added, “On some tips it was tough to get seated all the way down before turning and locking in place.” Dr. Kenneth Siva found that the wings make it much easier to quickly place mixing tips on a cartridge, and Dr. Teitelbaum said it was very convenient to be able to switch tips from one cartridge to another before the material set. A couple dentists had trouble with the wings disengaging from the tip. However, if the tip is detached correctly by tilting 45°, there is no need to worry about wings disengaging from the tip.
Mixing Performance and Ease of Dispensing Material
Designed for consistent and successful mixing results, the DX-Mixer tips are “extremely user-friendly,” according to Dr. Baba. He appreciated the homogeneous mix of the impression material and said the product is a “brilliant idea. The best mixing tips I have ever used.” Dr. Giunta praised their “reliable mixing” and decided, “[You have] nothing to lose by using these. They are great!”
For Dr. Lucynda Raben, the DX-Mixer HP Mixing Tips made the mixing unit much more manageable and compact, and she said, “The assistants all felt like the cartridge mixing is much less messy.” In addition, Dr. Raben said the tip is smaller and much less cumbersome than other longer tips, which allows for much better leverage and manageability in using the mixed products. “[The tips were] excellent in using with all my mixing needs and seemed to dispense in a very easy manner,” noted Dr. Todd Gottlieb. Burke said their “ease of use makes setting up quicker,” and she appreciated “that the intraoral tip doesn’t spin so easily like other tips used for light body impression material.”
Overall Satisfaction
Although cost was not a factor in this evaluation, cost is certainly an important part of the product purchasing decision. Dr. Giunta said the DX-Mixer HP Mixing Tips from Dentazon/DXM “perform the same [as others] at a fraction of the cost.” He added, “The product has improved our bottom line by reducing our overhead.” Dr. Gottlieb concluded that this “excellent product” worked very well with all his materials and said, “It’s a very effective universal tip for all my mixing needs.”
