Product Evaluation

Trust is the foundation of a patient-dentist relationship and plays a crucial role in long-term patient satisfaction. But trust must be earned over time, and, for Dr. Theodore Holubec, that means “doing anything to improve a patient’s dental treatment to build rapport and trust.”

While expert clinical skills and successful out-comes certainly qualify as “improving a patient’s dental treatment,” some patients prioritize speed and comfort during a procedure, hoping to finish treatment as quickly and painlessly as possible.

To deliver that comfort to patients who need anesthetic injections, Dr. Holubec “wanted a simplified system to quickly buffer the local anesthetic to achieve good anesthesia.” He had tried a buffering system in the past but was frustrated by “too many steps” and quit using it, thinking “there must be an easier way.” Thankfully, Dr. Holubec discovered BufferPro, which is manufactured by Premier Dental and distributed by Septodont.

Ease of Incorporating into Workflow

Designed to buffer a local anesthetic injection by raising the pH of the anesthetic solution close to physiologic levels, BufferPro is an 8.4% sodium bicarbonate solution that gives clinicians a simplified, 1-step dispensing method. Packaged in a single-use, self-contained, sterile capsule, BufferPro requires no measuring, mixing, or additional accessories and is easy to inject directly into an anesthetic cartridge.

“I liked that the buffering solution was already pre-loaded in a sterile individual package,” Dr. Holubec said. “I was able to buffer the anesthetic in 1 step, and patients had a better experience as well,” he added. “It eases the stress for patients and doctors and has improved my practice as a whole.”

Single-Use Capsule Design

Each sterile 0.1-mL capsule of BufferPro is packaged individually to avoid cross-contamination and prolong shelf life. “The small, single-use cartridges are easy to keep on hand and fit any carpule,” Dr. Ross Isbell said, while Dr. Andrew Chen “loves the packaging,” which allows him to minimize waste. Praising the “single-use, easy-to-use system with no pre-setup needed,” Dr. Joshua Haremza said there was “much less waste than my current buffering system.”

Previously using a buffering system that was “difficult to use, occasionally clogged, and required assistants to change cartridges and chase down [the dispenser] from another operatory,” Dr. Carrie Niemann said, “I appreciate the unit dosing of BufferPro. It is faster, does not clog, and is easier to prevent cross-contamination.” In addition, she pointed out that BufferPro can easily be stocked in each operatory because it does not require a special dispenser. Dr. Jonathan Dubin appreciates that BufferPro’s all-in-one dispensing method “makes it available in all treatment rooms at the same time and is less expensive [than a previous buffering method].”

For Dr. John Jackfert, “the premeasured vials took all the guesswork out of buffering anesthetic; this saved me time, which in turn saved me money.” Dr. Isaac House said the premeasured capsule “made it impossible to inject the wrong volume,” which made it “easy to delegate to assistants.”

Simplicity and Convenience

BufferPro “is extremely easy to use with it being a 1-step process,” Dr. Steven Berk noted, while Dr. Isbell called “the single-use cartridges of this highly simplified buffering system an effective way to incorporate a chemical delivery system.” Finding BufferPro particularly useful for mandibular blocks and hard-to-numb patients, Dr. Chen said, “It makes the process easy for assistants and doctors to use. Everyone can do it!”

Dr. Dubin appreciates that he can “sit down with a patient and inject and start a procedure within a minute or two.” Dr. Lawrence Brent said, “It does make anesthetic delivery more pleasant, with less time spent waiting,” but he prefers his previous method of buffering by hand with a bottle of sodium bicarbonate.

Patient Experience

“I liked that BufferPro took away the sting that patients normally feel when being numbed,” Dr. House said. “It helps patients feel less pain from injections, which in turn makes for happier patients and less anxiety through the rest of the appointment.” He experimented by using BufferPro on one side of a patient’s mouth but not on the other side. “The patient stated he felt nothing on the side where BufferPro was used but felt a pinch on the side that it wasn’t used on.”

“Patients liked the effect that BufferPro provided and it helped them not feel the anesthetic as much,” Dr. Berk said. And Dr. Isbell noted, “It seemed to have a faster onset of anesthesia and less burn upon injection, which results in a happier patient.” Noting “BufferPro created a better experience for fearful, pediatric, or abscessed patients,” Dr. Mike Glasmeier said, “It makes injections more comfortable and delivers more profound anesthesia.”

“BufferPro worked perfectly to reduce the discomfort of anesthesia and had a faster effect, providing patients with more comfort pre- and post-dental procedure,” Dr. Rodolfo Olmos shared.

Overall Satisfaction

Calling BufferPro a “great product that’s extremely valuable for my practice,” Dr. Olmos declared, “It is a must if you want to provide your patients with an excellent local anesthesia experience.”

“I truly enjoyed BufferPro and its ease of use,” Dr. Berk stated. “I will definitely incorporate it into my practice.” Dr. Chen concluded, “I feel more confident in our local anesthesia, and the patient has a better experience. I already told my dental friends about this new buffering solution.”