The Problem: It Works, Until It Doesn't

A DEXIS Titanium that fails completely is frustrating but simple to report. One that works most of the time, then drops out mid-series or refuses to be detected until someone wiggles the cable, is harder. Intermittent problems waste time, interrupt appointments, and are easy to dismiss until they get worse.

This guide focuses on intermittent behaviour and works from the most likely physical cause, the sensor-to-cable joint, outwards to the USB end and the workstation.

Everything here is a safe, non-invasive check. None of it involves opening the sensor or altering the cable, and none of it replaces a professional assessment if a physical fault is likely.

Why the Sensor-to-Cable Joint Comes First

DEXIS clearly treats this joint as important. The Titanium biteblocks include a protective cover for the sensor-to-cable connection to prolong cable and sensor life. That protection only works when the matching biteblocks are used. Repeated bending at the joint, or positioning without the cover, can stress it over time.

Safe check

With the imaging software open and the sensor detected, watch the status as a colleague gently moves the cable near the sensor. If detection drops when the joint is flexed, stop. The joint is the likely cause, and further flexing can make it worse.

If you are not sure whether the right biteblocks are in use, compare them with the DEXIS holders supplied for the Titanium. Improvised holders, or holders designed for a different sensor, may leave the joint unprotected.

Dexis Titanium Dropping Out Check the Cable on Repair Guru

Next Suspect: The Cable Length

DEXIS describes the Titanium cable as robust and aramid-reinforced. Even so, crushing under a chair base or cart wheel can damage it partway along its length.

Run the cable slowly through your fingers and look for flattened sections, nicks or kinks.
Check whether dropouts happen when a particular part of the cable is moved.

Then: The USB End

Check that the USB housing is firm and undamaged.
Plug directly into the computer, not an unpowered hub.
Try a different USB port.

Finally: The Workstation

DEXIS designed the Titanium to integrate with many imaging and practice management platforms. An intermittent problem on one computer only usually points to that computer's drivers, USB power settings or software. Test the sensor on a second correctly set-up workstation. Our DEXIS sensor troubleshooting guide covers more software-side checks.

Where the Problem Usually Sits

What you observe	Most likely location	Next step
Drops when the cable near the sensor is moved	Sensor-to-cable joint	Stop use, seek assessment
Drops when a mid-cable section is moved	Cable length	Stop use, seek assessment
Drops when the USB end is touched	USB end or port	Try another port, then assess
Drops on one computer only	Workstation	Check drivers, power settings, software
Drops everywhere, no movement link	Internal fault	Seek assessment

Why Intermittent Faults Get Worse

An intermittent connection often suggests that something in the cable, joint or USB end is no longer making consistent contact. Repeated flexing can make that kind of fault worse, so a problem that starts as an occasional dropout can become constant if the sensor stays in use.

Intermittent faults also affect appointments in ways that are easy to underestimate: a full-mouth series interrupted halfway, a patient waiting while the software reconnects, or an image that has to be retaken.

Keeping a Simple Dropout Log

Because intermittent problems are hard to reproduce on demand, a short log helps anyone diagnosing the sensor:

When the dropout happened and in which operatory.
Which computer the sensor was connected to.
What the team was doing: positioning, moving the cable or switching patients.
Whether the sensor reconnected on its own or needed to be unplugged.

When the Sensor Is Still Covered

If your Titanium is covered by a DEXIS plan, contact DEXIS before arranging any independent assessment. DEXIS describes the Titanium's smart sensor health system as able to flag performance anomalies remotely, which may help their support team identify the issue.

What Not to Do

Do not tape, splice or heat-shrink the cable.
Do not keep flexing the joint to "find the spot".
Do not open the sensor housing.
Do not use a sensor with exposed wires in a patient's mouth.

Information to Share When You Ask for Help

When you contact DEXIS or a repair provider, mention which of the checks above you tried, what happened during each one, and any photos of visible damage. That short summary often saves a round of back-and-forth before the sensor is even assessed.

Preventing a Repeat

Most joint and cable damage builds slowly. Using the DEXIS biteblocks with their joint cover, holding the sensor body rather than the cable, and routing the cable away from chairs and carts all help. More sensor care advice is available in the RepairGuru article library.

Covering Imaging While You Investigate

If you have another sensor in the practice, use it for full-mouth series and other long imaging sequences until the Titanium has been checked. Intermittent sensors are most disruptive during long series, where a dropout partway through means repeating part of the sequence. If the Titanium is your only sensor, try to schedule imaging-heavy appointments after the problem has been assessed.

Getting It Fixed

If your checks point to the cable joint, cable or an internal fault, and the sensor is outside DEXIS coverage, Repair.Dental's DEXIS sensor repair page explains its services. Start a repair when ready, or contact the team to describe what you found.

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DEXIS Titanium Dropping Out? Check the Cable | Repair.Dental