Local Anesthetic
When you visit McQuiston Dental for a dental procedure, we will help dull pain in all or part of your mouth before treatment by administering a local anesthetic. We may use local anesthesia in combination with sedation dentistry to provide you with a more comfortable overall experience.
Local anesthetics are used to numb specific areas of your mouth and are usually injected into your gum or inner cheek. There are many types of anesthetics, all of which have names ending in “-caine,” but the most commonly used medicine is Lidocaine.
There are two types of numbing injections which you may receive: a block injection and an infiltration injection. Block injections numb an entire section of your mouth, such as one side of your lower jaw. Infiltration injections numb a smaller area near where the injection was given.
When you receive an injection of local anesthesia, we will dry part of your mouth with air or cotton and gently swab the area with a gel to numb the skin. The anesthesia will then be slowly injected. Most patients do not feel the needle during injection; the “sting” experienced during injection is caused by the anesthetic moving into the tissue.
The effects of local anesthesia should last for several hours. You may find it difficult to chew or speak clearly until the numbness wears off. Please be careful when chewing so that you do not bite down on the numb area. You can hurt yourself without realizing it.
While it is rare to experience an allergic reaction with local anesthetics, please make sure to tell Dr. Scott about any allergies and medications you are taking, including over-the-counter drugs, herbs, and vitamins.
To learn more about local anesthesia in Alexandria, Virginia, and to make your appointment, call us today at 703-354-0111.
