Product Review: How to ensure your patients have a pain-free visit every time

A hygienist’s take on Cetylite’s Cetacaine Topical Anesthetic.

Do you ever have one of those days where you look at the patients on your schedule and take a deep breath? They’re all sensitive during their hygiene visit! Ugh!

The amount of empathy I conjure up during those visits exhausts me. Often the patients who require the most from us are our biggest fans. They tell everyone they know about how they have the best hygienist in the world and would never let anyone else clean their teeth. They deserve the best you can give.

I pride myself on providing a pain-free preventative dental hygiene appointment….OK as pain free as possible. I do many things to make that happen, including offering a topical anesthetic.

In the 20th century many clinicians placed globs of greasy topical to take the edge off during instrumentation. In one office we used Cetacaine spray prior to injections for minimal discomfort. We had to use a quick blast because there was no way to control the dosage. In the early 21st century, I started using single-dose topical anesthetic and my patients loved it. Unfortunately my bottom line did not.

The anesthesia the patient received lasted long enough; I just ended up throwing more away than I used. I found myself becoming very picky regarding who I would use it on so I would not go through it so quickly. I even considered adding a fee to justify the cost. Then, while attending CareerFusion, I found out about an alternative that was less expensive but effective, allowing patients to have a pain-free visit. The best part? You control how much you use and have minimum waste so you do not have to throw unused product away.

The company is Cetylite. Their Clinical Kit contains one 30-gram bottle of Cetacaine Topical Anesthetic Liquid, 100 graduated Delivery Syringes, and 100 microcapillary Delivery Syringes. This is all made possible because of its Luer-lock cap, which allows the product to be drawn into Luer-lock syringes. The syringe is graduated, according to Cetacaine Liquid dosage. Simply put, you only fill the syringe with the amount you need. They also offer the Cetacaine Liquid Chairside Kit, which contains one 14 g bottle of Cetacaine Liquid, 20 tips and syringes.

The onset is rapid, about 30 seconds, and lasts for 30–60 minutes. That means you can get to work quickly and not worry about reapplying the product during a procedure. The minimally invasive plastic tip is safer around the soft tissue. This design was created based on input of hygienists at CareerFusion.

The savings

This sounds too good to be true, right? Well it gets even better. To use during a full-mouth procedure the cost is approximately $2 compared with the $25 it cost me before, plus the fact that I had to discard the unused portion.

Cetylite has two size bottles. One bottle contains 14 grams of Cetacaine and the other bottle contains 30 grams. The 30-gram bottle is enough for me to see 75 patients if I use it for full-mouth procedures. It usually is enough for me to use it on 75 to 150 patients because I use it for one tooth if it allows me to do a better job for my patient. Some offices use Cetacaine for all topical procedures, replacing the greasy topical they were using. I no longer have to pick and choose which patients I want to use it on because I only dispense what I need on any patient who needs it, even for one tooth.

My patients love it

I see many patients who have inflammation around crowns and bridges, especially in areas they find difficult to keep clean daily. I place a small amount of Cetacaine under the gum line and begin ultrasonic cleaning the area. The once sensitive gum tissue is easily debrided, which allows for healing to occur.
I have seen patients’ mouths stay healthier between visits because I can do a more thorough cleaning with minimal discomfort. They no longer worry about me hurting them; they always remind me to use the good stuff! I simply smile and tell them “only the good stuff for you!”

Product Review: How to ensure your patients have a pain-free visit every time

A hygienist’s take on Cetylite’s Cetacaine Topical Anesthetic. Written by: Liz Nies RDH Cetylite’s Cetacaine Topical Anesthetic Date published: 06/06/2013 5 / 5 stars