Fear of painful local anesthetic injections is one of the main reasons people are scared of dental care. Due to the fear, many people avoid going to the dentist. The syringe used for local anesthesia was invented more than 150 years ago. Dental anesthesia usually involves a regional block, i.e. not just the treated tooth is anesthetized, but all the surrounding tissues too. The resulting feeling is numbness of parts of the face and regions that are not necessarily treated, and discomfort after the treatment as a result.
The STA WAND is a modern device that was invented in the United States and is FDA approved. The WAND is a quantum leap in the world of modern dentistry. The device consists of a computer unit and an injection unit that looks more like a pen and less threatening than a syringe. The computer unit drips the anesthetic at a slow rate of one drop every two seconds. In addition, the anesthetic emerges at much lower pressure than from the standard, mechanical anesthesia syringe.
The advantages of anesthesia using the WAND:
- The device looks friendly and less threatening.
- Computer controlled.
- The injection unit looks like a pen rather than a syringe and fine, thin needles are used.
- Because the anesthetic drips at a slow rate and low pressure, it causes less pain during anesthesia, ensuring easier recovery than following anesthesia using an ordinary syringe.
- One of the major advantages of using the WAND device is the possibility of anesthetizing only the treated tooth rather than the entire treatment area and the surrounding tissues. Gentle, low pressure dripping allows the anesthetic to be delivered with almost no pain to the dense and fibrous Periodontal Ligament (PDL), surrounding the tooth. Anesthetizing a single tooth without numbing surrounding tissues such as the lips, tongue and cheeks allows for treatments to be finished without the discomfort associated with anesthesia using an ordinary syringe.
- The patient does not feel pain during or after the injection.
- Ideal for treating children suffering from dental anxiety and anyone who wants to experience dental treatments in an advanced manner.