Dental Sky shares Renata Redka’s experience with The Wand as a tool for prioritising practitioner wellness as well as delivering pain-free anaesthetic to patients.
Creating the ideal patient experience is essential for building a profitable and thriving dental business. However, many dentists often underestimate the part their own wellbeing plays in achieving successful outcomes.
According to Mental Health and Wellbeing in Dentistry: A Rapid Evidence Assessment, commissioned by the GDC in 2021: ‘Dentists experiencing poor mental health and wellbeing have reported they feel less clinically confident.’ This suggests practitioner wellness is very much linked to the quality of patient care.
Dr Renata Redka is practice principal at Queen’s Terrace Dental Practice in Southampton. She leads a team dedicated to providing comfortable, efficient dental care for patients and practitioners alike to achieve the best results.
The Wand, computerised anaesthetic for practitioner wellness
In 2023, she began using The Wand, a pain-free alternative to traditional dental injections. This computerised system delivers precise local anaesthetic without the discomfort of a needle. The Wand is now an everyday tool in Renata’s practice and has proved to be a game-changer – for her patients, workplace wellbeing and practice efficiency.
She says: ‘At Queen’s Terrace, we’ve taken precision to a new level with The Wand. It’s a fantastic tool that ensures exact and localised anaesthesia without affecting the entire face, so there are no more worries about extensive numbing or lingering discomfort.
‘It allows us to target only the necessary area so there are no side effects of extensive numbing and post-operative trauma caused by accidentally biting lips or cheeks. The Wand enables us to tailor anaesthesia to their unique needs, and they can leave our practice with a natural feeling and a confident smile.’
Here, she explains why she’s a ‘raving fan’…
1. Practitioner wellness and ergonomics
The Wand significantly reduces clinicians’ risk of repetitive strain injury. With its lightweight, ergonomic design, applying pressure while administering anaesthesia is unnecessary. Instead, the handpiece only needs to be held in the correct position, minimising strain on the wrist.
The feather-light handpiece and adjustable design enhance both ergonomics and visibility during treatment. This is especially useful for accessing hard-to-reach areas like back molars, where the precision and flexibility of the device shine.
Combining smooth, efficient anaesthetic delivery and a less intimidating device improves patients’ comfort. For clinicians, the lightweight design and enhanced visibility reduce fatigue and strain, even during lengthier procedures, contributing to a smoother workflow and better patient outcomes.
Additionally, The Wand’s ability to keep patients comfortably numb for an hour eliminates the need for additional injections during more prolonged procedures, further reducing repetitive motions.
2. Precision
The Wand’s real-time feedback system is a game-changer. It provides immediate confirmation of whether the anaesthetic has been successfully administered. If feedback indicates the position is incorrect, it’s easy to slightly adjust the handpiece and carry on.
The audible cues also allow me to focus on the patient rather than visually checking the handpiece. The bi-rotational technique has noticeably improved the success rate of inferior dental blocks. It reduces the likelihood of failure and minimises the risk of trauma or paraesthesia associated with traditional methods.
This approach also allows for safer alternatives, such as single-tooth anaesthesia (STA), instead of more invasive ID blocks. This gives me greater confidence and reassurance that patients will have a positive experience.
3. Practice efficiency
The immediate onset of anaesthesia with The Wand has significantly improved our efficiency. Treatments begin promptly without the waiting period required for traditional anaesthetics to take effect. It ensures that procedures go ahead without interruptions, saving chair time.
4. Patient comfort
We use The Wand for all our patients – even those who don’t typically feel nervous about injections have remarked on the increased comfort during anaesthesia. One patient was surprised to learn that she had already received the anaesthetic, believing we were probing the tooth.
Patients also appreciate that the anaesthesia doesn’t linger after their appointment. They love it because it doesn’t numb the soft tissue – lips and tongue remain unaffected – so they leave without the temporary inconvenience of numb lips or slurred speech. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and our recall rates remain strong.
5. Paediatric and phobic patients
The Wand has been great for children and anxious individuals. One notable case was an 11-year-old who arrived in tears and was so terrified she wouldn’t open her mouth. She needed a filling that required anaesthesia, and we used The Wand to administer it.
The treatment went so smoothly that she is now unafraid during her visits. Case studies such as this highlight how The Wand can change patient attitudes towards their dental care.
Reference
- https://www.gdc-uk.org/docs/default-source/research/mental-health-and-wellbeing-in-dentistry27973e06-eb0f-4ee2-b92f-7fee3d2baf5b.pdf
