Local Anaesthesia- How it Works for Dental Work

Are you worried about your upcoming dental appointment? Have you scheduled your oral surgery with your dental surgeon? Well, don’t worry. No matter the case, local anaesthesia also known dental freezing can help you alleviate your concerns about the uncomfortable sensation and pain during dental work.

Irrespective of if you have had dental procedures in the past or you are looking forward to having one, knowing what local anaesthesia is and how it works will help you eliminate your fears. It will enable you to walk into the dentist office with confidence. Read on to find out more about local anaesthesia.

What is Local Anaesthesia and How Does it Work?
Local anaesthesia is a combination of liquid medicines that helps in numbing the area that requires dental work and thus contributes to less pain and discomfort during the dental procedure. The anaesthesia is typically injected as a combination of numbing drugs.

Vasoconstrictors help in narrowing the blood vessels and extending the period of numbness. Sodium chloride speeds up the entire process of getting the drug into your body. Sodium hydroxide increases the effectiveness of the drug.
How is it Administered?

Typically, local anaesthesia is administered through a combination of techniques. First, your dentist will prepare the area that requires dental work by drying it with air or cotton. He/she will then use a numbing gel and apply it to the area. This is particularly helpful for those people who are afraid of injections. He will then inject the anaesthesia to numb the entire area before dental work.

You will rarely feel any pain from the needle. The only thing that most people report to feel is a little sting of the medicine moving through the blood tissues.
Uses of Local Anaesthesia

Local anaesthesia is used in different circumstances. Here are some of them:

- The dental surgery is just a minor one and does not require regional or general anaesthesia.

- The type of dental work to be performed does not require the patient’s muscle to relax in a way that he/she will be unconscious.

- The operation can be done within a single day in that it will not require the patient to stay overnight.
Types of Local Anaesthesia Numbing Injection
The type of local anaesthesia to be applied to a patient depends on various factors. Some of these factors include age, weight, allergies, the type of operation to be undertaken and the patient’s current medical condition. Here are the two types of local anaesthesia;

- Block injection
This type of anaesthesia is used to numb an entire region of the mouth. For example, the dentist can use it to number the entire upper jaw.

- Infiltration injection
The second type is used to numb smaller areas. It only numbs the area that the dentist intends to carry out the dental work.

Bottom line
If you are looking to undergo a dental procedure in the near future, you have no reason to be afraid. Local anaesthesia will help make the entire procedure comfortable and painless. Book an appointment with us at Carrum Downs Dental Clinic. Our dentist is happy to provide dental treatment to your entire family and discuss different pain management options prior to your next dental treatment.