Innovations in Dental Anesthesia: Pain-Free Procedures

It is often in the practice of dentistry that news like innovations in dental anaesthesia surfaces, making the whole process much more comfortable for the sufferer. Those painful injections followed by long periods of numbness are now consigned to ancient history. With the innovative technologies and techniques at our disposal, it shall now be possible to undertake pain-free dental treatments with minimised side effects.

Topical Anaesthetic Gels

The proper development of very effective topical anaesthetic gels has been a landmark in the history of dental anaesthesia. The gel can be applied on the gums or at the site of the injection, and the patient can then be injected without feeling any pain, as by the time the needle is put into the skin, it would have penetrated the tissue and ceased the pain signals. This completely removes the pain of the shot itself, so for anyone who has a fear of the pinch of the needle, this truly is a game-changer.

Computerised Local Anaesthetic Delivery Systems (C-CLAD)

A relatively new technology in dental anaesthesia is that of computerised local anaesthetic delivery systems, C-CLAD. These include such instruments as the Wand or STA System, all of which use a small pen-like handpiece to deliver the anaesthetic. The solution flow rate is computer controlled so one can deliver a solution at an exact predetermined speed. With such a slow delivery, less pressure and discomfort related to the injection arise hence it is more comfortable. C-CLAD systems support buffered local anaesthesia in order to deliver the anaesthesia only in the place it is really needed and not to the surrounding place.

In buffered local anaesthesia, a few milligrams of sodium bicarbonate is added to the solution of the anaesthetic, increasing its pH. As such, the resulting injection that is created from it is far less acidic. Thus, the buffered solution stings and causes less discomfort as it is closer to the normal body pH. Buffered anaesthesia can be used either with standard injections or with the use of C-CLAD systems to add more comfortable dimensions for patients to enjoy.

Vibratory Anesthesia

Vibration-assisted anaesthesia is a new procedure in which mild vibration would distract the nerves of a patient, hence producing a minimal sensation while hearing the sound of injection. Devices like Dental Vibe include a small, handheld vibrating tip that is directly placed on the injection area. The idea behind this process of stimulation through vibration is supposed to block pain signals from transmission. This procedure has been noted as best carried out for needle-phobic patients because vibration provides a competing sensation with the needling process.

Anaesthetic Reversal Agents

According to dental anaesthesia, the longest duration that patients consider unfriendly is the postoperative numbness that can persist up to hours. Prolonged effects can, however, be reversed now due to anaesthetic reversal agents introduced recently. For example, phentolamine mesylate reverses the anaesthetic effects by blocking and thus giving a normal sensation to the area within minutes. This sensation usually lasts for some minutes and then goes away. This is very important to a patient who has a numb lip or tongue that would create problems when speaking or eating.

Conclusion

There are exciting advances in the world of dental anaesthesia that lay ahead. From strong gels and medicated gel matrices that are controlled-release by computer to the reversal of anaesthesia's effects, these advances start to change what patients will feel. This is a very exciting option personally as a clinical dental professional to be able to offer toward a pain-free procedure for the patient. Other concerns about dental anaesthesia are best discussed with the dentist. Together, let us best conceive of some solution to comfort that at all costs must be put first with every visit.

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Faqs

• 1. How safe are these new techniques of anaesthetic application?

  All new techniques have been tested and are known to be safe for the administration of the anaesthetics for dental procedures. This is worldwide from certified dentists with approvals from regulatory bodies.

• 2. Will my insurance plan cover the cost for the new method of anaesthetic application?

  Coverage will vary depending on your insurance plan. Most plans seem to cover topical anaesthetic and C-CLAD systems. It does not currently cover vibration assisted anaesthesia or anaesthetic reversal agents. Verify with your carrier to be sure.

• 3. Are these techniques appropriate for children?

  Those indeed are developments in anaesthesia, especially for children, since they are a lot more sensitive to pain and needle phobias. Actually, these topical gels, with the use of C-CLAD through vibration-assisted local anaesthesia, make injections far, far more comfortable and much less traumatic.

• 4. Will I still be injected with a local anaesthetic?

  Yes, but even so, in the cases of topical gels and vibration-assisted anaesthesia, it needs to be anaesthetised with an injection, in order for the anaesthesia to go in deep enough for the required depth necessary to carry out dental procedures.

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