Delivering on the EMS promise of painless ultrasonic therapy

Thirty years after inventing the technology that is widely viewed as the gold standard in ultrasonic scaling, EMS have raised the bar even higher with the introduction of the new Piezon No Pain system.

Piezon No Pain technology translates the next step in the EMS vision of painless ultrasonic therapy into a chairside delivery system. Piezon No Pain can be integrated into almost any dental unit on the market or ordered as a factory fitted option on most leading brands. Self-contained bench top units are also available.

"Piezon No Pain is a giant leap forward," said Nathan Giess, Regional Sales and Marketing Manager for EMS in Australia and New Zealand. "Clinicians are now able to access all the benefits of ultrasonic therapy to deliver high quality care, effectively with the absence of any pain or discomfort to the patient with the correct technique.

"Delivering pain free ultrasonic scaling is a science that requires both clever technology and high quality manufacture," he said. "There are always less expensive options in each product category but purchasing an EMS product is an investment in both clinical efficiency and most importantly, patient comfort."

Mr Giess said that pain associated with ultrasonic scaling is typically caused by incorrect power settings and/or using worn or incorrect instrument tips.

"A key element to Piezon No Pain technology is that it automatically regulates the power delivered to the instrument tip by a factor of plus or minus 10% around the power setting selected by the operator," he said. "Using intelligent feedback from the handpiece, it delivers more power when required to remove stubborn calculus faster and conversely, less power to alleviate discomfort when power isn't required. In doing so, it helps avoid causing pain related to incorrect settings.

"In addition, when Piezon No Pain technology is activated, it starts on the lowest power setting to counter initial discomfort and then ramps up to the selected power setting, which it then maintains, plus or minus 10%, automatically regulated through feedback from the handpiece."

EMS says that the Piezon No Pain module assures instrument movements perfectly aligned with the tooth surface and vibrates 28-32,000 times per second to make it extremely effective. The result is a uniquely smooth tooth surface and maximum soft-tissue protection.

The new balanced Piezon handpieces also now offer a substantially improved field of illumination thanks to six LEDs arranged around the tip. The Piezon No Pain Module is available in both LED and non-LED versions. The LED version can accept both LED and non-LED handpieces, a unique feature in the world of piezon scaling.

Mr Giess said that the metallurgy of the biocompatible surgical steel used in the manufacture of EMS Swiss-made instruments is another key factor in delivering on the no pain promise.

"Third party products don't have the same inherent flexibility that is required to create the frequency of vibration that facilitates gentle and effective care," he said. "Our systems require precision instruments and whilst they may look like other scalers, the science inside the box is very different.

"Another factor in endeavouring to deliver pain free care is using the correct instrument tips to suit the clinical situation.

"All of these factors have also enabled the system to provide a considerably noticeable noise reduction during debridement. This reduction in parasitic noise in the the surgery has been flagged by both operators and staff as a key benefit of the technology and is also a factor that is beneficial in reducing patient anxiety."

The new Piezon No Pain system also incorporates the new EMS V-Class coupling system for connecting V-instruments to V-handpieces in the No Pain system.

"The new Piezon V-Class coupling system increases the lifespan of handpieces and tips by at least 25%," Mr Giess said. "This is because the new Piezon V-Class instruments are manufactured with the new EMS stainless steel alloy. Both can also now be thermally disinfected prior to autoclaving and are compatible with the DAC Universal."

According to EMS, the conical design of the sonitrode within the handpiece and instruments allows the operator to snap the instrument onto the handpiece in just a single turn, making the connection 10 times faster than before. Power transfer to the tip of the instrument is also improved, leading to optimal treatment efficiency with a reduction in both the power required and the cost per treatment.

"We invented piezoelectric ultrasonic scaling technology and have been manufacturing it for 30 years, so we understand all the requirements for a high quality product," Mr Giess said. "As it did at the time, the new Piezon No Pain technology and V-Class will again set a new standard in ultrasonic scaling in 2012 and beyond."

The Piezon No Pain integrated module can be retrofitted into any dental unit by a service technician. It can also ordered as a factory fitted option on many leading brands including A-dec, KaVo, Planmeca, William Green, Anthos, Pelton and Crane and others.

In addition, the new Piezon Master 700 and Air-Flow Master Piezon bench top units incorporate the Piezon No Pain technology. EMS bench top units and the Piezon No Pain module can be purchased from Henry Schein Halas, Medi-dent, Dental Depot Group, William Green and A-dec distributors.