On this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk cohosts with Dr. Mark Hyman as they talk with Onset’s Craig Conrardy all about the practice of buffering anesthetic. Buffering raises the pH of any local anesthetic closer to physiological, allowing dentists to not “miss” as much when it comes to numbing a patient, overall making the anesthetic of choice more predictable. In contrast, after an unbuffered injection, the body must raise the pH of the anesthetic towards the physiologic pH before the patient can effectively achieve pulpal anesthesia.

As Onset’s director of sales and marketing, Conrardy is passionate about educating dentists on the wide variety of benefits buffering can offer, especially in an industry that was upended with the arrival of a global pandemic. Dr. Hyman, an advocate for buffering in his own practice, shares some of the benefits he has experienced through using Onset’s buffering tools, including an elevated patient experience, saving dentists’ time, reducing the use of PPE, and cutting overall costs.

Conrardy shared that the biggest obstacle he’s found to a practice adopting buffering is an aversion to change in the dental world. But as he’s traveled across the country introducing this technique to hundreds, if not thousands, of dentists and dental practices, he’s found that the results speak for themselves. The conversation concludes with Conrardy debunking some common myths about buffering, and Dr. Hyman and Kirk alike advocating for a continued push to try new ways of practicing and learning as we move into a new year.

Main Takeaways

Buffering anesthetic elevates the patient experience (8:50)

With one shot, Onset allows dentists to get back on schedule (15:04)

Onset reduces dentist PPE by 50% (18:21)

Buffering frees up dentists’ time (20:35)

Buffer costs a practice approximately $3 per patient (24:00)

The biggest obstacle to adopting buffering is a fear of change (30:32)

Young and experienced dentists alike should be open to new things (38:08)

Key Quotes

“During the pandemic, it was just such a blessing for us to get all these doctors calling us and telling us, ‘oh my gosh, your product was great before the pandemic, now it’s allowing me to continue treating patients.’”

—Craig Conrardy

“The men and women in dentistry, we want to take better care of our patients, and this is an idea whose time has come.”

—Dr. Mark Hyman

“The power of this, the compounding power of this for your joy, your success, your profitability, the flow, the five-star reviews, the new patient referrals—the entire package we want in a successful private practice—this is the simplest. It’s a $3 per patient answer to a really complicated problem.”

—Dr. Mark Hyman

“All we’re asking dentists to do is imagine. What if you could? What if you actually could sit there and do it then get up and finish your next procedure?”

—Craig Conrardy

“So much is out of control for us in dentistry. When we can control something, that’s a good thing.”

—Dr. Mark Hyman

“There are complex purchasing decisions in dentistry, this is not one of them. This will be one of the easiest, coolest things you ever do.”

—Dr. Mark Hyman

Snippets

Seat it, treat it, and complete it (5:33)

The impact of buffering in a pandemic (12:32)

The bottom and top line of buffering (18:29)

Biggest myths about buffering (24:12)

Why to trust a company like Onset and not DIY buffering (31:06)

A buffering case study (33:45)

Craig’s predictions on the future of dentistry (37:10)

Bio of Guest

Experienced National Sales And Marketing Director with a demonstrated history of working in the pharmaceuticals industry. Skilled in Enterprise Software, Sales, Sales Operations, Customer Retention, and Sales Management. Strong sales professional graduated from