Anesthetics

Anesthesia has been used in dentistry since the 1840s. Local and general anesthesia administered by trained dentists boasts an excellent safety record.

Dentists use local anesthetics to control regional pain, while general anesthesia renders the patient unconscious and is used for many oral surgeries to control regional pain and anxiety.

The American Dental Association published Guidelines for the Use of Sedation and General Anesthesia by Dentists, and it states that dentists trained to administer sedation and general anesthesia have a responsibility to minimize risk to patients undergoing dental treatment by performing preoperative patient evaluations and clinical consultations and exams, among other requirements.

Novocaine

Novocaine is an anesthetic that once was the primary anesthetic used in dental work and dental surgeries. Dentists seldom use it today, due to the discovery of safer, more powerful anesthetics such as Lidocaine and Xylocaine.

Novocaine has evolved into a generic name for most of the local anesthetics used in dentistry today.

Lidocaine

Lidocaine has been used on adults and children for more than 50 years. Many dentists use it in restorative cases that require reliable anesthesia for an extended period of time.

Xylocaine

Xylocaine is a local anesthetic introduced in the late 1940s, which dentists use because it is known to safely and effectively control pain.