The Sterisil Straw is a dental waterline maintenance device that you insert into your dental bottle to ensure water remains ≤ 10 CFU/ml, 50x lower than the current CDC guidelines.

It works by releasing small amounts of silver ions into the water, which kills bacteria and prevents biofilm buildup in the dental waterlines.

The straw is installed into the dental bottle that connects to your dental chair.

No, you do not need to use daily tablets when you have a Sterisil Straw installed.

The Sterisil Straw replaces daily tablet treatments by providing continuous water treatment for a full year with just one installation.

This saves time and eliminates the daily task of dropping tablets into bottles, while still maintaining safe water quality for your patients.

It’s recommended you shock your dental waterlines periodically, but the process is much simpler.

When shocking your lines with Citrisil Shock tablets, there is no need to remove the Sterisil Straw.

The Sterisil Straw also comes with a built-in initial shock treatment that activates upon installation, turning the water slightly blue to indicate it’s working.

No, you should not use bleach with Sterisil Straws.

Bleach is an oxidizing agent that can damage the silver ion technology in the straw and reduce its effectiveness.

Additionally, bleach is not an EPA-approved line cleaner for dental waterlines.

Your Sterisil Straw needs replacement at 365 days (or 90 days for the 90-day straw)

It’s recommended that you track the installation date in your Dental Unit Waterline SOP.

Used Sterisil Straws can be disposed of with your regular office waste.

They do not contain hazardous materials that require special disposal methods.

Simply remove the used straw from your dental bottle, discard it in your regular trash, and install a new one.

Yes it does! The Distilled formulation of the Sterisil® Straw V2 must be used with water that has a total dissolved solids. The municipal formulation of the straw must be used with water that has a TDS level between 101-250 ppm. Source water levels of TDS can be measured using a handheld TDS meter. Meters can be purchased through your dealer or other online vendors.

TDS is an acronym for Total Dissolved Solids and its measurement informs you of the amount of extra “stuff” that you have in your water besides H₂O. This may include many things commonly found in water such as minerals like calcium, magnesium, or sodium, all of which could impact the performance of your straw.

NO! Bleach is not registered with EPA for use in cleaning dental unit waterlines. Additionally, bleach contains an oxidizing agent that compromises the performance of the straw. If you are attempting to shock your lines, Sterisil recommends the use of Citrisil™ Shock Tablets in conjunction with regular use of the Sterisil® Straw.

Check that your source water TDS falls within the correct range for the type of straw you are using (Distilled: 0-100ppm TDS vs. Municipal: 101-250ppm TDS). Make sure no waterlines are stagnant! Stagnant water causes bacteria to build up which can spread to and contaminate the rest of the dental unit. Shock through the straw with a Citrisil™ Shock tablet according to the Citrisil™ Shock IFU and then continue normal use of the straw. The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) recommends testing your dental unit waterlines on a quarterly basis to ensure continued compliance.

Contact Sterisil Customer Support if the problem persists: (800) 216-5505

Move the straw to another chair that doesn’t have this symptom. If the water flows as normal, check chair components for blockages. Ensure no other products (except for Citrisil™ Shock) have ever been used in the water flowing through the straw. The Sterisil® Straw is not compatible with oxidizing agents (chlorine, iodine, etc.) If those products have been used through the straw, replace the straw.

No problem, contact Sterisil Customer Support and they will send you a new one.

Ensure the Sterisil® Straw is securely twisted onto the luer lock fitting. If needed, contact Sterisil Customer Support and they can send you a new luer lock.

Sometimes silver leaves residue on the bottom of the bottle when it is used for an extended period of time. Simply clean the bottle with a bottle brush and warm water to remove any particulate that has formed over time, then it will be good as new!