Industrial News Buzz - Good Vibrations: Bresslergroup Designs New Device that delivers Pain-Free Dental Injections.

 

DentalVibe(TM) a new dental device now on the market takes the fear and pain out of dental injections. The product design firm, Bresslergroup, teamed with Dr. Steven G. Goldberg, DDS, to design the easy to use tool. Research shows that fear of a painful anesthetic injection keeps 50% of the patient population away from the dentist. DentalVibe(TM) officially launched at the Chicago Midwinter Dental Meeting, February 27, 2010.

 

Dental Vibe(TM) employs the "Gate Control Theory" of pain management. This means creating a diversion for the brain. The DentalVibe(TM) hand held tool rapidly vibrates the oral mucosa (gum tissue) surrounding the injection site. These rapid vibrations are processed in the patient's brain, while the injection is simultaneously administered. The patient's brain registers the vibrations, not the pain. The DentalVibe(TM) instrument also retracts the lips and illuminates the injection area. These additional features help avoid accidental needle sticks and greatly enhance operator visibility.

 

Bresslergroup is in the business of helping companies define and design innovative new products. Through research they determined that steady vibration would quickly be decoded and ignored by the brain. The breakthrough discovery was to engineer an intermittent pulse - applying vibration for a brief period, followed by a quick stillness period. "We designed the DentalVibe(TM) tool with a stop and start vibration pattern that continually tricks the brain and masks the pain of the injection," notes David Schiff, Bresslergroup Director of Engineering.

 

The microprocessor controlled VibraPulse(TM) technology sends a pulsed, percussive form of vibration. This vibratory stimulation travels along the A-beta nerve fibers and is transmitted quickly to the brain. Pain sensations travel along the slower C fibers. So in the race to the finish, the brain feels the vibration, not the pain of injection.

 

Bresslergroup, based in Philadelphia, develops innovative new products via integrated user research, industrial design and engineering. The firm serves consumer, medical and industrial manufacturers. Since its founding in 1970, Bresslergroup has won more than 80 major design awards and has authored more than 125 patents.

 

TM  = Trademark