New local anesthesia delivery system

Computer Controlled Local Anesthetic Delivery Systems (CCLADs) were first introduced for use in the dental profession in the late 1990s. When initially launched, they offered the promise of helping reduce the pain and anxiety usually associated with intraoral injections of local anesthesia. Over the past 20 years, they have provided dentistry with a deliberate and controlled administration of local anesthetic and, in doing so, a means to help reduce the potential discomfort many patients feared.

Since their introduction, there have been a number of different systems developed with “improved” features aimed at addressing some of the shortcomings of the earlier models. 

Lastly , Septodont introduced the Dentapen at the Greater New York Dental Meeting, where it was well-received. Since then, I personally have been utilizing the Dentapen in my practice and have found it to be exceptional. Its lightweight, ergonomic design distinguishes it from virtually every other systems that precede it.

The Dentapen is a self-contained CCLAD that utilizes standard dental anesthetic cartridges and needles. It is entirely portable, meaning a single device may be all that a dentist needs to purchase for an entire office. It runs on disposable batteries and enables local anesthetic to be delivered at 3 speeds (1 mL in 30 seconds, 60 seconds, or 90 seconds) and in 3 modes including 

(1) full speed (the default); 

(2) “ramped-up” (blue light), where the agent is initially delivered as a slow trickle; and 

(3) pressure mode (purple light), which is used for periodontal ligament (PDL) injections

In addition to minimizing discomfort for traditional injections, CCLADs help facilitate some of the more challenging approaches, such as the PDL injection .

the anterior middle superior alveolar nerve block and the palatal approach anterior superior alveolar nerve block . By utilizing the TNN Needle Guide (Septodont) for any of these injections , the dentist can safely place a gradual 90° bend without fear of kinking or breaking the needle. In general, because palatal tissue is keratinized, practitioners often avoid these approaches as they can be most pain-provoking. Utilizing the Dentapen at its slowest setting (1 mL in 90 seconds [green light]) in conjunction with the ramp-up feature, however, allows the dentist to accomplish these palatal injection virtually pain-free.