Dr. Marc Levin knows it’s crucial to have a dry working field with good visibility during procedures, whether taking an impression, applying fluoride, or cementing a crown. It’s also important to keep the lips, cheeks, and tongue out of the way to improve visibility and keep the patient safe and comfortable. After using Dry Tips on his patients for several weeks, Dr. Levin called them a great product that kept moisture under control and reflected light, which ultimately allowed him to get his job done faster.
Intended as an alternative to cotton rolls and other absorbent pads, Dry Tips are absorbent, flexible, and comfortable, and they resist leaking while protecting the mouth from sharp instruments. The Reflective Dry Tips have a reflective coating that improves visibility in the oral cavity. They are available in small and large sizes, with a reflective or non-reflective backing.
Absorbing Moisture; Maintaining Dry Field
“Controlling saliva and maintaining a dry field during restorative procedures [is difficult],” noted Dr. Eric Van Zytveld, but after trying this product he found that Dry Tips were excellent at absorbing saliva. Microbrush reports that one of the Dry Tips has a high absorption capacity, far better than cotton rolls and other absorbent pads, and doesn’t lose moisture when handled. “The Dry Tips are so absorbent that I did not get any bleed-through and the tips held all of the saliva in the area,” reported Dr. Joel Doyon. He continued, “It kept the area around the tooth dry, free from salivary contamination to ensure better bonding.” Dr. Sylvia Irwin, who recommended a smaller size for pediatric patients, agreed that the product absorbed moisture very well. She added, “Especially with the growing focus on bonding, maintaining a dry field is more crucial than ever before.”
Patient Comfort and Protection
“This product worked beautifully to keep the patient’s cheeks out of the way,” noted Dr. Mark Offenback. Each tip is coated with polyethylene film to protect patients from sharp instruments, and the flexible edges accommodate cheek movements. The slim profile allows the tip to stay comfortably in place yet keeps cheeks away to allow easier access to the back of the oral cavity.
Dr. Irwin discovered that Dry Tips protect her patients and offer good isolation. “The product enabled isolation of the tongue and soft tissue, eliminating the possibility of laceration as well as adding absorbency,” she said. Dr. Abraham Jaskiel found that the tips protect the teeth well during drilling, and felt it was especially helpful during restorations of the upper 2nd and 3rd molars. He noted that it saved time by allowing him to stop fumbling with cotton rolls, and it improved the patient’s experience because it is not bulky. Dr. Van Zytveld pointed out that using the proper size Dry Tip is important, but added that “using too large a Dry Tip can lead to a patient feeling the sharp edge.” Another dentist, Dr. Mitchell Pasenkoff, liked that the Dry Tips are “small, not bulky” and said, “It made my job easier,” especially when taking digital impression scans.
Dry Tips are specially manufactured with materials that won’t fray or shed fibers. “The Dry Tips were easy to place and remove with no residue left on tissue after removal,” noted Dr. Doyon, who appreciated that there was no cleanup of cotton fibers after use. When a procedure is finished, the tips are easily removed with water spray.
Ability to Reflect Light
The Reflective Dry Tips have a special coating on one side that reflects light and improves visibility during procedures, and the evaluators praised this unique feature. “I have used similar products, but this one also had the added bonus of reflecting light,” shared Dr. Irwin. And Dr. Van Zytveld said, “The ability to reflect light helps illuminate posterior teeth. I used a Dry Tip while accessing a carious lesion on the distal facial of tooth No. 15. The reflective surface tremendously improved my ability to illuminate, visualize and restore the lesion.” Dr. Doyon pointed out an added bonus of the reflective side of the tips: “The reflective surface does not absorb any water spray when I remove etch from the tooth.”
Overall satisfaction
The evaluators were so impressed with Dry Tips that they all would recommend the tips to colleagues and purchase them in the future. Dr. Robert Kirchmann said his favorite features were the durability, comfort, and reflective properties. He said he was looking for a product that would provide retraction and absorption of fluids, and Dry Tips “met both needs, which made all procedures efficient.” And Dr. Jaskiel concluded, “When working on some teeth, this product is an absolute must have!” For all these reasons, our team of DPS evaluators deemed Dry Tips a “Best Product.”
