Local Anaesthesia

Sometimes dentists need to do more in-depth work than your regular cleanings and exams. Due to the sensitivity of your teeth and gums, some treatment may require local anaesthetic medication to cause numbness.

There are two kinds of local anaesthetics that dentists use to numb your mouth. The first is called a topical anaesthetic, which is swabbed over the surface of your mouth or gums. This is used to numb the area where the dentist plans to inject the other kind of local anaesthetic or to make a dental cleaning more comfortable. The injectable anaesthetic is what we rely on to keep you comfortable and pain-free for most dental procedures.

What Is Local Anaesthesia?

Local anaesthesia is used to make a very small, specific area of your body temporarily unable to feel sensations, including pain. Examples of procedures requiring local anaesthesia include fillings, crown placement and root canals.

A local anaesthetic works by blocking nerve cells in a specific area from sending pain signals to your brain. You can expect this numbness to last for two to four hours, which means you will probably still feel residual numbness after your appointment.

Before you undergo a procedure requiring local anaesthesia, we will ask for information regarding any allergies and the medications you take. There is a possibility you might need a different formula if you have certain medical conditions. Call us if you have concerns or wish to know more about how we use local anaesthesia.

What To Expect

Despite the numbness from the topical anaesthetic, some patients feel a stinging sensation from the injection and think it isn’t working. In reality, this feeling is caused by the anaesthetic drug entering the body and beginning to work. The stinging subsides within several seconds.

Numbness

The numbness from local anaesthesia will take a couple hours to wear off, which may inhibit proper speaking and eating. After your appointment, you’ll need to be careful about biting and chewing—you could bite your tongue or cheek and not feel it! You should also take care to avoid hot food and drinks until the anaesthesia has worn off. You may also experience a temporary feeling of swelling or drooping of parts of your mouth or face.

Call us today with any questions or to book your appointment!


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