Local Anesthetic

The basic level of care in dentistry is to numb an area before commencing with any form of treatment. Local anesthetic has been used for decades, successfully allowing patients to receive necessary treatment without pain. In most situations, local anesthetic alone is sufficient to complete a non-stressful dental experience.

Local anesthetic is applied via injection, delivering medication into the gums. The most commonly used medication to numb the mouth is lidocaine, although there are many excellent alternatives. Each of the medications used for localized numbing contains the ending “-caine”. Many years ago, Novocain was a primary numbing medication, but in recent years, several other medications have proven themselves more effective, and less likely to elicit an allergic response.

In local anesthetic, there is a numbing substance, as well as other substances, which may include:

• Vasoconstrictor medication, which causes narrowing of blood vessels, an occurrence that helps extend the duration of numbing.
• A chemical to keep the vasoconstrictor intact
• Sodium hydroxide, which facilitates numbing
• Sodium chloride, to deliver the numbing medication to the bloodstream

Local anesthetic may be delivered in two ways. Most often, an infiltration injection is performed to numb a small area for treatment. This injection is given in the immediate area of the tooth, such as the gums. Block injections are given to numb larger areas of the mouth, such as the upper left side of the jaw. This may be ideal when more than one tooth requires treatment in the given area.

We take special care to ensure our patients are comfortable throughout dental treatment. Before administering local anesthetic, the injection site is treated with a topical numbing agent. We let this numbing medication sit for a few minutes and reach maximum potential. The injection site is then dried, and local anesthetic is gently administered. Most people do not feel the injection itself, but may feel the slight sting of medication as it is absorbed into the tissue.

Local anesthetic is incredibly effective on most patients, allowing painless dental treatment. Following local anesthetic, the mouth may feel tingly or cold, with the sensation of being swollen. Although patients look completely normal, the physical sensations of local anesthetic tend to take hours to wear off. During this time, care should be taken when eating or drinking not to bite the cheek or tongue.

At Aliso Smiles, we ensure our patients from Dana Point, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, and other nearby communities are comfortable and satisfied with the care they receive. Contact us today to schedule your dental check-up with Dr. Sajit Patel.