For those who suffer from dental phobia, they are unlikely to visit the dentist unless it is absolutely necessary. Patients who are afraid of the dentist may be afraid of the pain, the drill, the injections or may have had bad experiences in the past. Luckily, modern dentistry has evolved considerably over the years and pain is no longer inevitable when visiting the dentist.

At Smilecraft, we are proud to offer The Wand in Stevenage, a painless injection system, which was developed to replace the traditional needles in dentistry. This innovative computer-controlled anaesthetic delivery system is ideal for patients who have associated the dentist with pain and discomfort.

How does it work?

What many patients who are afraid of needles fail to realise, is that the pain does not usually come from the needle. Needles can cause discomfort, but they cannot cause pain.

In reality, the pain caused by injections is created by the anaesthetic being delivered too quickly or with uncontrolled force. The software that operates The Wand controls the flow of the anaesthetic, while the hand piece with the needle is held in place. Working together, these two components make painful injections a thing of the past.

Are there still needles and injections?

The Wand incorporates a needle, however it is not as visible as regular needles. Its innovative and patient-friendly design is ideal for children or patients who are afraid of injections, since The Wand looks more like a pen rather than a syringe. Compared to regular syringes, the needle of The Wand is very small and discrete. For patients who panic at the mere sight of a needle and the thought of what is about to happen, The Wand can help them to relax.

Is it as effective as regular needles?

The Wand is even better than regular needles because it is entirely controlled by computer software. Regardless of what type of injection is required and in which area of the patient’s mouth it should be done, our dentist is able to reach comfortably and apply the anaesthetic accurately and painlessly. The technology behind The Wand eliminates the margin for human mistakes and offers a more relaxed experience to patients of all ages.

At Smilecraft, we are committed to bringing you the latest in dentistry so that you have the most comfortable and precise experience available. We want to make visiting the dentist a positive event that fits into your lifestyle well and leaves you feeling fresh and ready to get on with your day.

One of the tools we work with is called The Wand. We think that’s a great name for this piece of equipment because it seems to work magically during many dental procedures.

How does it work?

The Wand is used to numb an area for dental work such as fillings. It is held in the dentists hand like a pencil and applied to the required area. Your procedure is then carried out as normal.

If we are going to use The Wand in Stevenage for a procedure, we would be happy to show it to you beforehand if you would like to see it. Some patients like to do this so that they know what is going on. Others prefer not to see. Your experience is up to you, just talk to us about what you want.

The patient experience

With The Wand, there is no initial pain like when you have an injection. Many patients do not know when the numbing has taken place.

Another striking difference is that the numbing is highly localised. The anaesthetic is applied in pulses at low pressure so it does not spread beyond the areas where it is necessary. This means that using The Wand does not lead to a large area where there is a lack of feeling, numb lips or dribbling.

Patients feel more able to simply go on about their day after having treatments involving The Wand.

Nervous patients

There are lots of reasons why people have issues visiting the dentist. Talk to us if you are a nervous patient and we will do everything we can to make you more comfortable.

One of the triggers that usually ranks pretty high on the list of issues around the dentist is the injection. With The Wand, we think that you will find the experience much more comfortable and easy to face. Once you start having positive experiences at the dentist, it may not seem so daunting in the future. Talk to your dentist about using The Wand for your treatment.

If you’ve had routine dental treatment – some fillings, or root canal therapy perhaps – you are likely to have been given local anaesthetic. For many people, this was the most unpleasant part of the whole dental experience – after all, once you were numb, you wouldn’t feel any pain from treatment. But the injection itself often came with an irritating “bee sting” feeling that would last a little while before numbness kicked in.

Even if you managed to avoid – or to tolerate – the bee sting sensation, once your treatment was complete you may well have left the dental surgery feeling as if someone had given you a fat lip.

The effects of local anaesthetic would last for a good few hours after your crown or filling was placed, or your root canal cleaned. During that time, you could expect to experience a numb tongue and/or lips. Eating or drinking was a risky business – you would wait for your coffee to go tepid to ensure that it didn’t burn your numbed tissues, only for half of it to dribble down your shirt as you tried to negotiate your numbness.

Trying to eat anything was a definite no-no. If you did try to have any food, it could prove very difficult to chew, and when the local anaesthetic eventually wore off while you would have no pain or discomfort from your treated tooth, you might find that you’ve been inadvertently chewing your tongue or lips instead of your lunch.

Now, this can be a thing of the past. At Smilecraft in Stevenage we use The Wand, a pain-free injection system that not only gets rid of the bee sting effect by removing the margin for human error, but also has the capability to deliver targeted anaesthetic, so that only the relevant tooth or teeth are numbed.

The Wand looks like a pen and is connected to a computer, which controls the delivery of your anaesthetic. That way, once your treatment is finish you can stroll out of the surgery with a mended tooth and no bothersome numbness – not to mention the ability to drink your well-deserved coffee.

For a lot of people who are scared of visiting the dentist, it’s not the dentist him- or herself that they are afraid of. Neither is it the drill, the actual treatment. . . For many people, it’s the thought of the dentist’s injection of local anaesthetic that causes their anxiety.

Now, thanks to The Wand, pain-free dentistry is a reality. We use The Wand as a matter of routine at Smilecraft in Stevenage, and have many delighted patients who are more than happy to testify to the results.

Whether it is the sight of a needle or the bee-sting feeling of the injection itself that makes you anxious about having local anaesthetic at the dentist, The Wand can help.

First and foremost, it looks nothing like a syringe. It looks like a pen, which is connected to a modern computer unit. So if the sight of a needle leaves you quaking in your boots, you may be pleasantly surprised.

The bee sting effect that people often experience with traditional injections isn’t actually caused by the needle, but by the delivery of the local anaesthetic too quickly. The Wand takes the element of human error out of the process; delivery of anaesthetic is controlled by the computer, so that it will be provided in a smooth, controlled and even manner every time.

The Wand also has other benefits in addition to preventing the unpleasant bee sting sensation of injections. It enables your dentist to numb only the area that needs to be numbed.

Previously, after a dental injection, you would spend a good few hours afterwards afraid to eat or drink, lest you drooled on yourself, or ended up chewing on your numb lip instead of your sandwich. With the help of The Wand, your dentist can now numb just one or two teeth as necessary, which means that you will leave the dental practice without feeling like someone has given you a fat lip.

Today I visited Smilecraft, Stevenage for an appointment with Dentist, Bradley Abrahams. He worked on my teeth for over an hour and used an amazing pain killing device called ‘The Wand’, which left me with no numbness in my lips, I was able to talk and drink with no embarrassment immediately afterwards. no wonder it’s called ‘The Wand’ its certainly worked its magic, as did Bradley and the dental nurse who was very attentive and caring throughout.

I was also very pleased indeed with the results of the work on my front teeth and have no hesitation in recommending anyone visiting this friendly dental practice.

Nicolette Keizer

After a root canal treatment I had done by another dentist my tooth cracked and had to be pulled out. The only solution was a dental implant. Bradley recommended Dr. Zanaboni at Mount Vernon Dental Specialists. Last Thursday I had the crown fitted on the implant as the final step. Everything works absolutely fine and it feels like this new tooth was always there and it looks absolutely natural.The whole treatment was never painful and perfectly coordinated between the two specialists.

I had other treatments done by Bradley like another root canal treatment and everything was done to my full satisfaction.

Ivo Schaedler

The most astonishing thing happened this morning. I went to visit Bradley Abrahams at Smilecraft in Stevenage, had the best part of an hour of drilling in preparation for a crown fitting and walked out much the same as I walked in – no numbness, no dribbling, no lop-sided smile. All thanks to Bradley’s new gadget, something called “The Wand”. This clever piece of technology delivers anaesthetic in such a way that, first of all, you are unaware that a needle has been inserted and then, once the procedure is complete, that you’ve ever been anaesthetised at all. Over the years (56 in my case) the dental profession have gradually made great improvements but the discomfort of injections and their after effects has, in my book at least, always been the most unpleasant aspect of a visit to the dentist. That and the bill (sorry Brad, couldn’t resist). “The Wand” has completely changed that. Aside from the delights of The Wand, my teeth have been cared for by Bradley and his excellent team for the last 14 years and I cannot praise them highly enough.

Reg Marjason