| What
should every patient know about dental anesthesia?
Providing you with high-quality, appropriate
care and making your dental visit as
comfortable as possible are top priorities
for the more than 155,000 dentist members of the American
Dental Association (ADA). Advances in
dental techniques and medications can
greatly reduce—even eliminate—discomfort
during dental treatment, and your dentist
and the ADA want you to know about them.
The following explains options
available to help alleviate anxiety or
pain that
may be associated with dental care.
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to Top What are analgesics?
Non-narcotic analgesics are the most commonly
used drugs for relief of toothache or
pain following dental treatment. This
category includes aspirin, acetaminophen
and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen.
Narcotic analgesics, such as those containing
codeine, act on the central nervous system
to relieve pain. They are used for more
severe pain.
Return
to Top What is local anesthesia? Topical anesthetics are applied to mouth
tissues with a swab to prevent pain on
the surface level. Your dentist may use
a topical anesthetic to numb an area
in preparation for administering an injectable
local anesthetic. Topical anesthetics
also may be used to soothe painful mouth
sores.
Injectable local anesthetics prevent pain in a specific
area of your mouth during treatment by
blocking the nerves that sense or transmit
pain and numbing mouth tissues. They
cause the temporary numbness often referred
to as a "fat lip" feeling.
Injectable anesthetics may be used in
such procedures as filling cavities,
preparing teeth for crowns or treating
periodontal (gum) disease.
Return
to Top What is sedation and general
anesthesia? Anti-anxiety agents, such as nitrous oxide,
or sedatives may help you relax during
dental visits and often may be used along
with local anesthetics. Dentists also can use these agents to induce "minimal or moderate sedation," in which the patient achieves a relaxed state during treatment but can respond to speech or touch.
Sedatives
can be administered before, during or
after dental procedures by mouth, inhalation
or injection.
More complex treatments may require drugs
that can induce "deep sedation," causing
a loss of feeling and reducing consciousness
in order to relieve both pain and anxiety.
On occasion, patients undergo "general
anesthesia," in which drugs cause
a temporary loss of consciousness. Deep
sedation and general anesthesia may be
recommended in certain procedures for
children or others who have severe anxiety
or who have difficulty controlling their
movements.
The ADA provides guidelines to help dentists
administer pain controllers in the safest
manner possible. Dentists use the pain
and anxiety control techniques mentioned
above to treat tens of millions of patients
safely every year. Even so, taking any
medication involves a certain amount
of risk. That's why the ADA urges you
to take an active role in your oral health
care. This includes knowing your health
status and telling your dentist about
any illnesses or health conditions, whether
you are taking any medications (prescription
or non-prescription), and whether you’ve
ever had any problems such as allergic
reactions to any medications. It also
includes understanding the risks and
benefits involved in dental treatment,
so that you and your dentist can make
the best decisions about the treatment
that is right for you.
Understanding the range of choices that
are available to relieve anxiety and
discomfort makes you a well-informed
dental consumer. If you have questions
or concerns about your oral health care,
don't hesitate to talk to your dentist.
If you still have concerns, consider
getting a second opinion. Working together,
you and your dentist can choose the appropriate
steps to make your dental visit as safe
and comfortable as possible, and to help
you keep a healthy smile.
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to Top
Please note: The ADA does not provide specific answers
to individual questions about fees, dental problems, conditions, diagnoses,
treatments or proposed treatments, or requests for research. Information about
dental referrals, complaints and a variety of dental procedures may
be found here. You can also refer to our Frequently
Asked Questions page for answers to common questions.
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