Are You Afraid to Go to the Dentist?

Although local anesthesia, or local injection, is designed to prevent pain and discomfort during dental procedures, it can cause some problems in your mouth's soft tissues before and after the medication wears off. Your dentist offers a unique medication that reverses the effects of anesthesia. Here are problems caused by local anesthesia, what you should know about anesthesia reversal and how it works to protect your soft tissues from the effects of local anesthesia.

Why Do You Need Anesthesia Reversal?

Local anesthesia requires your dentist to administer pain-blocking medication via needle and syringe near the nerves that support your mouth. Although the initial prick of the needle stings, the minor discomfort goes away as soon as the medications numb your soft tissues and block the pain receptors in your nerves. However, once the medication's effect on your nerves subsides, you experience discomfort or an achy sensation in your injection site.

The medication can create swelling in the injection site, which makes your face and jaw appear lopsided or uneven. The swelling also prevents you from speaking clearly. You may feel uncomfortable about the appearance of your face after your dental treatment, especially if you need to return to work or school as soon as your appointment ends. 

A number of people drool when their mouth tissues are swollen from local anesthesia. The swollen tissues can't close the mouth properly, which interferes with your ability to swallow your saliva. If you already suffer from an oral problem that requires sufficient saliva to prevent or keep in check, such as gum disease, halitosis or dry mouth syndrome, the loss of saliva can wreak havoc on your oral health by making the problems worse.

The last and most critical problem local anesthesia can cause you is an allergic reaction to the medication used in the injection. Anesthesia that lasts longer than 24 hours is a medical emergency, especially if you experience problems breathing and swallowing. These life-threatening side effects develop when the muscles and tissues of the throat and nasal cavity swell and block the flow of oxygen in your lungs. A number of people develop hives and itchiness in their skin from prolonged anesthesia. These symptoms can trigger inflammation in the hands, feet and face.

Anesthesia reversal can help prevent or reduce the problems mentioned above.

How Does Anesthesia Reversal Work?

Anesthesia reversal requires your dentist to administer a special medication into the treatment site immediately or some time after they complete your procedure. The medication speeds up the recovery process by unblocking the nerves in your mouth. The swelling in your mouth also begins to subside during the reversal process. 

There may be initial discomfort in the administration site when your have your anesthesia reversed. But this side effect is often short-term. In many cases, you can eat and speak properly in half the time it takes normal anesthesia to wear off. The actual reversal time may vary from person to person.

Currently, there are no adverse effects of the reversal medications on record. However, you should still tell your dental provider about any new and old drugs you may take to maintain other health problems, such as heart medications. Some heart medications, such as blood thinners, can react to other drugs when they mix together in the blood system. Keeping you safe before, during and after your dental treatment is essential.

Whether you feel uncomfortable about your appearance after a local injection or want to protect your mouth from injuries, anesthesia reversal can help. For more details about the reversal process or how it works, contact a dental provider for more information today. To see if your dentist offers this kind of procedure, go to sites like http://www.nwidentist.com/.