Dentaltown July 2017 - 108

Fig. 5

Comparing speeds of buffered and nonbuffered anesthetics
(All times listed in seconds)

Patient 1
Patient 2
Patient 3
Patient 4
Patient 5
Patient 6
Patient 7
Patient 8
Patient 9
Patient 10
Patient 11

Buffered
Nonbuffered
362
575
207
409
334
681
343
416
Readministration necessary
429
733
293
432
404
623
142
334
281
415
215
373

ability to remove erupted, soft tissue and
full bony impacted wisdom teeth.
Though not initially part of the study,
patients also reported that one of the sides
had a less painful injection. When reviewing
the data, this corresponded to the side
where buffered solution was utilized in
15 of 20 patients. A systematic literature
review similarly found that the pain of
intradermal injection of alkalinized local
anesthetics was decreased as compared with
"unbuffered" local anesthetics.
In the typical dental office, whether a
general dentistry office or one of a specialist, a significant amount of time is spent
either waiting for initial anesthesia to take
effect or waiting for readministration to be
accomplished.
The buffered side averaged 5:09 minutes
to "feeling numb," compared with 8:54 minutes for the nonbuffered sides. When looking
at buffered anesthetic providing 40 percent
faster onset in this study, a practitioner is
looking at a potential time savings of more
than an hour over an eight-hour workday,
depending on the number of patients or
quadrants treated. Those lost minutes or
hours-not to mention the enhancement
in the patient experience with a perceived
less painful injection and adequate pupal,
hard- and soft-tissue anesthesia- can create
a win-win situation.
Buffered anesthetic is a great efficiency
booster. Imagine being able to give a block
and be ready to work with a short delay

108

JULY 2017 // dentaltown.com

Patient 12
Patient 13
Patient 14
Patient 15
Patient 16
Patient 17
Patient 18
Patient 19
Patient 20

Mean
SD

Buffered
Nonbuffered
334
325
Readministration necessary
383
615
225
466
406
678
245
514
274
438
295
543
327
656

305.5
78.35

512.6
128.97

without leaving the room to wait for the patient to get numb. Inject,
talk to the patient about the procedure and begin treatment-this
could be a fantastic time-saver that results in increased production
and a significant time savings annually. The return on investment
is exponentially great with buffered anesthetics and especially, with
a system that makes buffering predictable and easy to do.
Do yourself, your staff and your patients a favor and consider
buffering your local anesthetic. It has the potential to change the
way you practice dentistry. ■
References
1.
Hutchins HS Jr, Young FA, Lackland DT, Fishburne CP. The effectiveness of topical anesthesia
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2.
Malamed S, Buffering Local Anesthetics In Dentistry. The Pulse Vol 44, Issue 1. 2011
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Bizga T, Cozy and Numb. Dental Economics. September 22, 2016.
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5.
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9.
Brandis K, Alkalinization of Local Anesthetic solutions. Aust Prescr 2011;34:173-5
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