NEW!!! October 1, 2008

We now introduce a new syringe that will allow the use of the PDL lever housing as a way to drive the plunger.

This is a new product...product name, "General Purpose Cartridge Syringe." The purpose of the syringe will be to apply other cements such as CaOH, epoxies, antibiotic ointments, etc. It will require a PDL lever housing to drive the plunger and may be purchased separately or for exclusive use with the GP syringe.

Now you can inject antibiotics into perio pockets, cement under loose crowns, sealer into root canals, CaOH onto pulp exposures, MTA over exposures, in short anything that is injectible. Since this is a combination of two existing products from Special Products, Inc. the interface is the new part.

Most people will want to buy a complete syringe if they do any amount of injections but if you don't mind assembling and reassembling the syringe for root canals, PDL injections and injection of pastes, cements and fluids, you can use our existing products. The threads on one end of the adapter match the PDL lever housing and the other end match the nosepiece of the Fine-Cut Endo Cartridge Syringe.

CSGP09-1 This is the new General Purpose Cartridge Syringe. When ordered as a complete unit it comes with a PDL intraligamentary syringe lever-housing assembly, a PDL plunger, a CSLT09 Nosepiece and ball driver plus a midpiece specially designed to join the PDL lever mechanism to the cartridge. This is to enable any liquid or semiliquid to be injected with endo cartridges. If you already own a PDL syringe AND a Fine-Cut Endo Cartridge syringe, all you need add is the GPS mid piece.
CSGP09-2 From left to right these are the parts of the General Purpose Syringe.
  1. PDL Plunger
  2. PDL Lever Housing
  3. GP Adapter Midpiece
  4. Cartridge Syringe Ball Driver
  5. Disposable Cartridge
  6. Cartridge Syringe Nosepiece.
    7. Any of these parts are stock items and can be purchased separately.
CSGP09-3 This is the new GP adapter midpiece. It is available as a separate item for those who already have our cartridge syringe AND a PDL Intraligamentary Syringe. One end is threaded to fit the PDL lever housing and the other to fit the nosepiece of the cartridge syringe.
August 9, 2008...Kissimmee, FL

I have often said that if I don't make my instrument designs obsolete, someone else will. So here's the latest changes to the design of the Fine-Cut Endo Cartridge Syringe.

We call it the Model CSLT09.

I have incorporated several design changes to keep up with the recent changes in the cements coming from the manufacturers. We find it much easier to use and much more accurate.

With the "LT09" we have continued the development suggested by users.

We have replaced all knurled parts with smooth ones to make it easier to keep it clean and professional looking.

We have replaced the knob used to turn the plunger with a "T" handle. This makes it much easier to turn and to measure the portions of a turn necessary near the apex.

We have added a side or "L" handle as we call it, to eliminate the need for knurling to keep it steady while turning against the resistance of thick cements.

The LT09 has the same number of parts as the LT08 but all but the nose piece which holds the cartridge are permanently assembled which makes sterilization and use much easier without the possibility of losing critical parts.

Image CSLT09-1 Fine Cut Endo Cartridge Syringe 2009 version. This latest version has the same larger plunger as the 2008 version but the plunger is not normally removed. This prevents parts from being lost during sterilization. The same smooth exterior was kept to make keeping the syringe neat and professional-looking easy. The same cartridges are used EC30EX (30 gauge), EC27EX (27 gauge) and EC25EX (25 gauge). Due to the recent particle size problem with the sealer we are recommending 27 gauge except in rare cases.
Image CSLT09-2 Notice large diameter plunger extending through the plunger guide assembly. This assembly is tightened in place by the "L"-handle and can be removed but it deliberately tightened to prevent it from coming apart in use. The threads are the same pitch as always i.e. one turn moved the plunger and thus the ball valve exactly 1/40 inch. Now with the "T"-handle one quarter turn is easily visualized moving the ball valve exactly 1/160 of an inch or 1/8 turn moving the ball valve 1/320 inch allowing very accurate dispensing of cements.
C3SLT09-3 Proper position of ball driver inside midpiece for beginning of injection. Notice: the ball driver no longer is removable. Simply sterilize the whole assembly. This was done in response to many dental assistants who had to keep track of lots of small parts during sterilization and use.
CSLT09-4 After cartridge is filled and ball valve is inserted nose piece can be re-attached to the midpiece. The tapered end of the cartridge is intended to WEDGE into the front of the midpiece to keep it from rotating in use. It also centers the ball driver on the ball valve.
CSLT09-5 This close-up shows the nosepiece after it has been affixed to the midpiece. There is a 30/1000th inch 0.030" gap so that the cartridge gets wedged tightly. This gap is normal. There is no need to tighten more than finger tight.

Here are some pictures of the LT08 Model:

2008 Model CSLT08 Cartridge Syringe

Shown here disassembled

Consisted of three parts.

  1. A tubular nosepiece designed to hold a cartridge filled with cement
  2. A mid piece which attaches to the nosepiece after cartridge is inserted. Internally threaded to accept a large but finely threaded plunger
  3. A threaded plunger which pushes on the ball-driver which extrudes the cement.

All parts are 303 Stainless Steel for long life. This version was first used in January of 2008. Two dentists are primarily responsible for the changes. First Dr. Mona Kakar of Mumbai, India who suggested the larger threaded plunger. Next Dr. Steve Pickering of Santa Barbara, CA who suggested the handle extending out from the midpiece. Thank y'all. Dentists working together. :)

2008 Model CSLT08 Cartridge Syringe

T-Handle has several advantages

  1. Larger threads but with the same pitch as the older smaller 1/8 in diameter. Although the function is the same, in that the same number of turns produce the same amount of cement, it is much sturdier, much less likely to strip and virtually impossible to bend or break.
  2. A T-Handle which gives even dentists with smaller hands the leverage to extrude the newer, harder, thicker cements.
  3. Creates a better ability to determine exactly how far the plunger has been turned thus metering cement with much more precision.

2008 Model CSLT08 Cartridge Syringe

L-Handle Mid Piece

  1. In an effort to make the syringe easier to keep clean we at first made the syringe smoother but this made it difficult to hold onto while extruding.
  2. An old friend, Dr. Steve Pickering of Santa Barbara, CA suggested that a handle extending out from the mid piece might do the job. We sent him a prototype and as a result of his suggestion we incorporated it into every one now sold.
  3. Holding the syringe in one hand while turning the plunger is now simple and it is unnecessary to squeeze the barrel with a "death grip" to keep it from slipping.

2008 Model CSLT08 Cartridge Syringe

Syringe in hand

  1. As you can see, the syringe is small and unobtusive and yet has the power to extrude almost any cement through the bore of a small needle.
  2. As before the particle size of the cement determines which size needle can be used but three common sizes, 30 gauge (0.29mm OD), 27 gauge (0.39mm OD) and 25 gauge (0.49mm OD) are available.
  3. Holding the syringe in one hand while turning the plunger is now simple and it is unnecessary to squeeze the barrel with a "death grip" to keep it from slipping.

2008 Model CSLT08 Cartridge Syringe

Plunger and Cartridge

  1. Plunger (ball driver actually) has a tip designed to "cup" the ball that pushes the cement through thus eliminating any surging of the cement due to distortion of the nylon ball.
  2. The proximal end of the threaded plunger fits the distal end of the ball driver to keep it centered.
  3. The distal end of the cartridge itself fits snugly into the proximal end of the syringe mid-piece thus stabilizing it and keeping it from rotating. When the mid piece is screwed tightly onto the nosepiece there is a small 0.0030" gap between the two parts.

January 16, 2006...Kissimmee, FL

Latest revision January 16, 2006

We interrupt this message to bring you breaking news. (The older version of the Endo Cartridge Syringe follows this)

September 14, 2007

We listen to our users and here's what we heard:

  1. They wanted a syringe that was smoother on the outside to make it easier to clean so we removed the knurling from the outside.

    ...Figure EC07EX-1

  2. They wanted a simpler syringe. One with fewer parts to keep track of. So we eliminated three of the four parts that constituted the "plunger" part of the syringe. To do this we made the plunger all of one piece. Instead of having a replaceable threaded rod we integrated the threaded rod, the knob and the screw that held the threaded rod into the knob into one piece.
  3. They wanted a tougher, stronger threaded rod so they didn't have to be as carefull while handling it to avoid bending the rod. So we made the rod over six times thicker.

    ....Figure EC07EX-2

  4. They wanted all this and at the same time to keep exactly the same functionality i.e. the same number of turns to deliver exactly the same amount of cement. We used exactly the same number of threads per inch on the new plunger rod as before.
  5. Some of those who mixed the cement really thick found that the cartridge, and thus the needle, tended to rotate when pressure was applied so we built in a seat for the back end of the cartridge that locked it into place.

    ...Figure EC07EX-3

    ...Figure EC07EX-4

  6. They wanted the syringe to be sleeker looking so we eliminated the plunger guide knob and threaded the inside of the mid-piece of the barrel.

    ....Figure EC07EX-5

    All the parts are laid out here including the cartridge. The cartridge is loaded as before and as before each cartridge comes with a ball valve so there is no need to inventory ball valves.

    ....Figure EC07EX-6

    Left to right the parts are: Threaded plunger, midpiece, ball driver, nosepiece and cartridge.

    ....Figure EC07EX-7

    Assembled syringe loaded and ready for use.

    ....and now back to the older version of the Endo Cartridge Syringe
    Mixing Cement and Loading Fine Cut Endo Syringe

    Filling root canals has never been easier or more accurate.

    ....Figure ECS01

    Since the first endo filling syringes came out in about 1960 syringe filling and sealing has finally come into its own. Cement filling is generally acknowledged to be well within the standard of care and in fact according to some recent studies to be actually better than gutta percha with cement. (April 2005 Journal of Endo)

    We have been preaching this doctrine to all who will listen since 1972 and now that hand instrumentation is passe and there are more forms of gutta percha technique than you can shake a stick at, cement has come into its own.

    Since 1982 the material I have been using since 1963 has been certified by the ADA as a "root canal sealer and filler with or without solid core material." In other words, without gutta percha.

    Several technological improvements have made syringe filling accurate, simple, predictable and safe.

    First for practical reasons the syringes must be made of metal, preferably stainless steel to withstand the pressures needed to force a putty-like consistency cement through a needle the internal diameter of which is the size of the tip of a #15 endo file.

    Secondly some mechanical advantage must be used because simple pressure as in a hypodermic syringe is both not doable except by someone much stronger than I.

    This means either a lever system or a screw system. The finer the screw threads, the more force can be applied and the better control can be exercised.

    Whereas with a lever system the smallest amount of movement is the distance between any two ratchet teeth.

    With a 40 pitch screw, for instance, if the smallest amount of turn is 1/8 of a turn, the plunger moves 1/8 of 1/40th of an inch the distance is 1/320 or about 0.003 inches, a very small amount.

    Now the Fine-Cut Endo Cartridge Syringe takes that control to a finer degree by putting the cement into a cartridge which can be loaded separately, keeping the syringe cleaner and making clean-up a matter of throwing the cartridge into the trash.

    We make products to last. Most of the syringes we have ever sold (since 1978) are still in use. We expect this one to be no exception.

    ....Figure ECS02

    Threads on distal of cartridge syringe mid-piece match the proximal end threads of the PDL Intraligamentary syringe which can be used as a driver for lighter cements and/or larger needle sizes.

    ....Figure ECS03

    Cartridge fits inside nosepiece.

    ....Figure ECS04

    ....Figure ECS05

    Another view of the nosepiece.

    Small Video of How to Load the Cartridge

    Medium Size Broad Band Version 900K Video of How to Load the Cartridge

    Large Size Version H.261 version Video of How to Load the Cartridge

    ....Figure ECS06

    Original helical drive that comes with Cartridge Syringe.

    ....Figure ECS07

    This exploded view shows all the parts of the syringe and cartridge in position.

    ....Figure ECS08

    ....Figure ECS09

    The thread, namely 5-40 pitch is exactly the same as has been used since 1978 in all the versions of our endo syringes. This means that there need be no technique change for any dentist switching from an older version.

    ....Figure ECS10

    Needle eliminates the need for the washer which was required to seal the older needle against the barrel. Cartridges are aluminum and come WITH a ball valve and thus there is no need for maintaining inventories of ball valves and washers. (Note ball valves and washers are still and will remain available for older versions.)

    ....Figure ECS11

    Cartridge in nosepiece on left and ball driver in midpiece on right. Notice that the end of the driver is hollow ground to match the shape of the ball. This prevents distortion of the ball which in the past caused cement to surge, making this the most accurate syringe yet.

    ....Figure ECS12

    Driver inserted behind ball valve in cartridge.

    ....Figure ECS13

    Closer view of entire syringe with parts separated.

    ....Figure ECS14

    ....Figure ECS15

    Ball Driver fully extended.

    PDL Intraligamentary Syringe (available separately) Still the best, sturdiest and most reliable intraligamentary anesthesia syringe on the market.

    ....Figure ECS16

    E-mail your comments to drjack@BetterEndo.com

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