The product design firm, Bresslergroup, teamed with Dr. Steven G. Goldberg, DDS, to design the easy to use tool.
Dental Vibe employs the "Gate Control Theory" of pain management. It creates a diversion for the brain by rapidly vibrating the gum tissue surrounding the injection site.
The DentalVibe's vibratory stimulation travels along the A-beta nerve fibers and is transmitted quickly to the brain. Pain sensations travel along the slower C fibers. So in the race to the finish, the brain feels the vibration, not the pain of injection.
Bresslergroup determined that steady vibration would quickly be decoded and ignored by the brain. The breakthrough was to engineer an intermittent pulse - applying vibration for a brief period, followed by a quick stillness period.
"We designed the DentalVibe tool with a stop and start vibration pattern that continually tricks the brain and masks the pain of the injection," noted David Schiff, Bresslergroup Director of Engineering.