Local Anesthesia for your dental treatment

To carry out several dental treatment procedures, dentists may numb a part of or the entire mouth. They do this to reduce the pain felt by the patient. For this, dentists use local anesthesia, which is injected into the patient in the form of a drug. The anesthetic works by numbing the area near the injection area. 

The names of drugs used as anesthesia usually end with “-caine”. Lidocaine is the most popular anesthetic drug. Novocain is a classic numbing drug which is no longer in use. There are other better drugs that last longer and cause fewer allergic reactions. 

The numbing drug is not the only ingredient in the liquid. Other constituents of the anesthetic may include: 

• Sodium hydroxide that helps the numbing drug to take effect
• Sodium Chloride that helps the drugs get in to the blood stream
• A vasoconstrictor, a drug that narrows the blood vessels and thereby makes the numbing effect last longer
• A chemical that holds the vasoconstrictor together, preventing it from breaking down 

Numbing shots are of two types. When a small area in the mouth is targeted, infiltration injections are used. To target a larger area, a block injection is used. 

A dentist will first clean and dry the mouth with air or cotton. He will apply a gel to numb the skin where the drug will be injected. When the dentist injects the drug slowly, you may feel a slight stinging from the needle. You'll be surprised to know that the sting is not because of the needle. The stinging sensation is caused when the drug passes from the syringe to the skin and tissues of the mouth. 

The effect of a numbing drug will last for several hours after the treatment. Speaking clearly or eating food properly may be difficult. Drinking liquids from a straw could become messy as the patient may not have any sensation in the mouth. A patient may even chew or bite the numbed area without experiencing any pain, hurting himself in the process 

Local Anesthesia
Side effects with local anesthesia are very rare. However, there may be some side effects in rare cases. A hematoma or a blood filled swelling can develop. This happens when the needle of the injection hits a blood vessel. In other cases, the needle may injure a blood vessel, causing pain that may last for several weeks or months. But the injury will heal with time. 

When the numbness happens outside the targeted area, it may cause the eyelid or mouth to droop. The condition will however ease when the effect of the drug wears off. 

At times, the vasoconstrictor may cause the heart to beat faster. But this shouldn’t last longer than a minute or two. 

Concerns

Allergic reactions are also rare with anesthetic drugs. You should inform your dentist of any allergies that you have. Your dentists should also know if you are taking any prescription as well as over the counter drugs. Some drugs could react with anesthetic drugs creating complications.