Chairside Impact: The Dental Pain Eraser by Synapse

Three years ago, my son’s orthodontist handed me a device and asked me to start using it in private practice. At first, I was reluctant. I knew how to use the device and all the many indications for use, however, I was stuck in my ways and hesitant to modify them. Then one day, it was lying there on my operatory counter, just staring at me. . . all clean and ready for use. That’s when it hit me: in order to give my patients the best quality of care, I needed to make a change. I committed to adding the Dental Pain Eraser to my armamentarium when treating my patients. When I began to use it consistently, it proved to be a game-changer.

Cosmo Haralambidis, DMD, and founder/CEO of Synapse Dental, launched the Synapse Dental Pain Eraser in 2019. It’s a hand-held, pen-shaped, portable, immediate pain-relieving device meant to be applied directly to the site of pain. Dr. Cosmo (as he’s more commonly known) is an orthodontist and practices in Cranston, Rhode Island. During his time teaching at Boston University, he also worked in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania to develop new products, with the goal of improving patient experience. As a clinician, Dr. Cosmo’s passion is to help improve patient care and to integrate and develop new technologies that can help our patients and our profession.

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The Dental Pain Eraser from Synapse has been called “magical” due to its ability to reduce, and in most cases eradicate, oral pain. I don’t know about you, but I loathe using generalized, topical benzocaine when providing hygiene treatment. We use sharp instruments! In my opinion, slippery topical and sharp instruments don’t mix. Not to mention the fact that the topical tends to get all over my gloves and penetrates to my fingertips. The Synapse Dental Pain Eraser has given me another way to relieve pain and worry, and more importantly, to increase patient satisfaction and comfort.

Sadly, dentistry has a stigma attached to it. The majority of people believe they will experience pain when they go to the dentist. I am here to help change that and erase the stigma of pain by spreading the news about this device. There are so many indications for use, it will blow you away. My doctor and I have used it successfully time and time again during the following procedures:

• Scaling and root planing (SRP 4-6 mm)
• Periodontal maintenance and prophylactic treatments
• Hypersensitivity due to recession or inflammation
• Tissue trauma
• Aphthous ulcers
• Facial muscular pain (bruxism)
• Whitening procedures (pre- and post-)
• Restorative (crowns, shallow restorations)
• Post-extraction, post-surgical, and post-endodontic
• Orthodontic discomfort
• Emergency discomfort

I’m sure you’re curious about how this unbelievable thing actually works! The Synapse Dental Pain Eraser is a device that can be used once the clinician identifies a point of discomfort. Next, a noninvasive, safe, and effective pulse wave is delivered to the site of discomfort. When applied, the patient feels absolutely nothing. In short, and in layman’s terms, the device blocks the pain preceptor (i.e., a certain segment of nerves designed to detect pain). It does not numb the patient. The patient still has all their other preceptors signaling, (touch, hot, and cold), and they leave feeling comfortable and relaxed, not numb.

Visit the Synapse website to experience this product for yourself. The education and customer care team at Synapse Dental Pain Eraser are second-to-none and will provide everything you need to be successful with the product. The device is extremely cost-effective and with certain uses, reimbursable through insurance. It’s also FDA approved, easy to use, and safe for patients of all ages. It’s truly a no-brainer. This product will change the face of pain control in our profession. I’m confident that it will positively impact your life, just as it did for me.