Types of Dental Anesthesia & Usage Benefits

Similar to all dentist-related procedures, dental anesthesia does sound a little frightening. Most of us follow this assumption, if the dentist offers a drug during a procedure, it possibly means the practice is really serious. However, the actual use of dental anesthesia is slightly different and is part of regular routines.

To be precise, dental anesthesia is safe and effective which is associated to different purposes. The type of anesthesia used depends on the level of pain one can feel during a dental operation. Below mentioned are the three preferred dental anesthesia variants that are used by most dentists.

Topical Anesthetic

Topical anesthetic is primarily applied to a certain area of soft tissue so as to numb it. Dentists usually call it as numbing jelly or gel. It is applied using a simple cotton roll or cotton swab. Usually, for effective application dentists permit the gel to sit on the surface for a few minutes. Commonly, dentists make use of topical anesthetic in order to numb the cheek or gums right before an injection of local anesthetic, thereby, permitting the injection to work comfortably.

Local Anesthetic

The dentist applies local anesthetic by simply injecting into the area that needs to be numbed. The impact of local anesthesia leads to temporary neutralization of the nerves in the injected part of the mouth. Once administered, dentists can carry out different procedures without the patient experiencing the pain.

A thin needle is used to inject local anesthetics, typically after the application of a topical anesthetic. Currently, Lidocaine is ranked as one of the topmost local anesthetic preferred by dentists. The dental anesthetics market has advanced in the past few years to offer several highly effective variants that have helped both dentists and patients.

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide is a colorless and odorless gas which is commonly used to lessen anxiety in patients at the time of dental procedures. Even though it’s not a proper anesthetic, it does exhibit several pain control properties. For instance, it is called “laughing gas” due to the elated state it imparts once inhaled. Nitrous oxide will not put the patient to sleep; however, does drop an impact on the nervous system. The sole purpose of its application is to relax anxious patients, but also offers some analgesic properties which directly works to control pain.