nerve block

Good News for Dental Phobes: Pain-Free and Needle-Free Dentistry May be Coming

by

Dental visits often evoke fear and anxiety, largely due to the dreaded needle and potential pain associated with procedures. But what if there was a way to experience pain-free and needle-free dentistry? Griffith University in Australia is currently trialing a revolutionary device called the Nuralyte that may offer pain and needle free dentistry the future. The reseaschers are developing a technology utilizing light to temporarily block nerve conduction in the teeth and jaw, mimicking the numbing effect of a traditional injection. One burst of light from the Nuralyte may provide 15 to 20 minutes of pain relief. Unlike X-rays, the energy in this light source does not alter DNA. Developed by tech start-up Dentroid, the Nuralyte holds immense potential to transform the dental industry. For individuals with dental anxiety or those who experience difficulty achieving complete numbness from injections, this … Read more

Computer controlled anesthesia for extraction of teeth

by

An interesting article titled “Computer-controlled Intraligamentary local anaesthesia in extraction of mandibular primary molars: randomised controlled clinical trial,” appears in the 2022 edition of BMC Oral Health written by Rodaina H. Helmy and et. al. (vol 22, no. 194, pp. 1-10). The article seeks to explore the pain experience when using a computer controlled anethesia injection while extracting lower primary molars in children. To explore the pain experiences of children, 50 healthy children between the ages of 5 and 7, with 29 females, and 21 males, who needed a lower primary molar extractioned were included in the trial. The parents of the children had to consent to inclusion in the trial. Any child who had teeth that showed signs of mobility, acute pathosis, ankylosis, or root resorption affecting more than a third of the root were excluded from the study. … Read more

Should bilateral inferior alveolar and lingual nerve blocks be given for wisdom teeth surgery?

by

An interesting article titled “Should we be giving bilateral inferior alveolar and lingual nerve blocks for third molar surgery,” appears in the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and written by J. Jabbar and et al. (2014, vol. 52, pp. 16-17). The article discusses how when someone is having their wisdom teeth extracted they are usually given general anesthesia and 2 inferior alveolar nerve blocks or local anesthesia in one or two visits. The authors feel there is controversy over whether 2 inferior alveolar nerve blocks should be given to patients in a single visit. The authors say the most common complications thought to be associated with bilateral inferior alveolar nerve blocks are injury to the tongue during anesthesia, unpleasant effects, loss of control of the tongue, and bilateral anaesthesia of the tongue, which can lead to collection of fluid in the oral cavity and aspiration. The authors mention a few past … Read more

Reducing Migraines with Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery

by

An interesting article titled “Non-Endoscopic Deactivation of Nerve Triggers in Migraine Headache Patients,” appears in the 2014 issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery written by Lisa Gfrerer and et. al. The article describes a method to screen and select patients for a surgical migraine treatment technique used by plastic and reconstructive surgeons. The surgery decompresses nerves that trigger migraines. The surgery used is stated to be an alternative to an endoscopic approach used which works down from the scalp under the skin as the other approach is not always suitable. The surgery discussed involves incisions through the upper eyelid and the study demonstrated that this approach was equally as effective for the deactivation of nerves involved in migraine headaches. In the study migraine headaches were completely eliminated in roughly 51% of the patients while around 20% of the patients … Read more

Dental Anesthesia May Stop the Development of Wisdom Teeth

by

An interesting study appears in the April 2013, JADA which looks at whether dentists giving inferior alveolar nerve blocks to young children may be stopping wisdom teeth from later developing. The article is titled “Inferior alveolar nerve block and third-molar agenesis: A retrospective clinical study,” and by Jerry Swee and et al., JADA, April 2013, vol. 144, issue 4, pp. 389-395. In the study the researchers looked at children who had received inferior alveolar nerve block (a local anesthesia) between the years of 2 and 6 at the Tufts dental clinic and also had a dental x-ray taken 3 years or after of being initially treated. The researchers arrived at 439 potential wisdom tooth sites from 220 patient records for their analysis. The control group consisted of 376 potential wisdom tooth sites where it was clear that the child never … Read more