PRODUCT EVALUATION UPDATE
ONPHARMA
Onset Buffering System
Clinicians can buffer local anesthetics chairside immediately before delivering an injection, ensuring quick, convenient, and predictable anesthesia
How many minutes a day do we spend waiting? Better yet, imagine how much more we could accomplish in a day if we converted wasted minutes into productive ones. In a dental practice, ensuring that every moment is productive is a key to profitability. If a product could save several minutes of chair time per patient, that could be a win-win for the practice and patient.
One such product is Onpharma’s Onset Buffering System, a chairside formula that shortens the anesthetic onset time while improving patient comfort, reducing clinician stress, and providing predictable anesthesia. Dentists have been successfully buffering anesthetics with Onset for 8 years, and a group of DPS evaluators deemed it a Best Product in 2011. Since Onpharma made several key improvements to the Onset Buffering System in 2019, DPS checked in with a few longtime users to see how Onset’s added benefits have affected their practices.
Enhancements to Onset
Once it’s placed in the Onset Mixing Pen, the solution can now be used over 7 days, instead of the previously recommended 1 day. “Onpharma continues to invest in research to make it easier and more cost effective to use Onset,” noted Dr. William Moorhead. “When I started using Onset, one of the obstacles was using a buffering cartridge within one day. That’s now extended to an entire 7 days!” Dr. Dwight Simpson said he’s now able to open a new cartridge on the last day of the week and be confident that the solution will be working consistently on Monday, creating less waste and less worry.
The current recommended dose for buffering cartridges of anesthetic is “9” on the Onset Mixing Pen, or .09 mL, which is half of the previously recommended dose (0.18 mL). “The [reduced] .09 mL dosage doubles the number of injections per cartridge, so that’s pretty awesome!” explained Dr. David Jones. “This has obviously reduced cost per injection by half,” said Dr. Simpson, who believes that the benefits of Onset more than pay for the cost per injection.
Previous versions of the Onset Buffering System allowed use with Lidocaine only, but now it can be used to buffer Articaine, Prilocaine, Mepivicaine, and Lidocaine, which Dr. Simpson says is an enormous advantage. “I have had many patients resistant to Lidocaine and even unbuffered Articaine through the years. When I started buffering Articaine, some patients felt profound anesthesia for the first time in their lives!”
|
"Improves |
"The [reduced] |
infiltration buffered with Onset and start working 30 seconds later." |
| Dwight Simpson, DDS, Jackson, CA |
David Jones, DDS Council Bluffs, IA |
William Moorhead, DMD Flemingsburg, KY |
Time Savings
Although there are many reasons why a dentist may be running behind schedule, one common factor is unpredictable anesthesia, according to Dr. Simpson. When the onset of an anesthetic is unpredictable and inconsistent, it creates delays, and Dr. Simpson noticed a tremendous increase in the predictability and efficiency of his schedule when he began using Onset in 2012. “I use the Onset buffering system for nearly every local injection, and I can dependably count on rapid anesthesia within 2 minutes,” Dr. Simpson shared. He estimates that he saves 10 minutes per restorative procedure, adding an hour or more to each day’s productivity. Also estimating that he saves at least 10 minutes per procedure with Onset. Dr. Mark Colonna said he can start a procedure much quicker than when using a nonbuffered anesthetic, saving time for the patient and clinician. “Onset just makes sense for a busy dental practice,” shared Dr. Moorhead. “Instead of inefficiently finding something else to do while the local anesthetic is given time to work, a dentist can perform a local infiltration buffered with Onset and start working 30 seconds later.”
Patient Comfort
“I have always believed that you can build a solid patient flow and internal patient referral stream if you just keep patients comfortable. Onset is instrumental in doing this,” shared Dr. Jones. “It increases your patients’ confidence in you, and it increases your team’s confidence in you. It’s a practice builder without question.” Stating that “using Onset is the ONLY way to use a local anesthetic,” Dr. Colonna explained, “Onset acts so quickly and, most importantly, takes the pain out of the injection and eliminates the need for topicals. It is humane and reduces injection pain to virtually non-existent. I wouldn’t practice without it!” For Dr. Simpson, patients who previously experienced high anxiety have now, with Onset, become some of his most relaxed, confident, and loyal patients. “Patients comment on the comfortable injections, and they are relaxed knowing I give comfortable, predictable anesthesia.”
"Using Onset is the ONLY way to use a local anesthetic. It is humane and reduces injection pain to virtually non-existent."
-Mark Colonna, DDS
Overall Satisfaction
When asked why other dentists should introduce the Onset Buffering System into their practices, Dr. Jones said, “With Onset, you get over 90% success in 2 minutes. It’s a no brainer.” Dr. Simpson reported, “Onset will improve efficiency in your clinical area, reduce stress, and keep patients in your office for the shortest amount of time while maintaining quality care.” And Dr. Moorhead summed up his thoughts by thanking the inventors of Onset. “Thank you for giving dentistry what is still one of the most innovative developments in dentistry in all of my 38 years.
