How to Anesthetize the Cheek

Anesthetization reduces the pain associated with dentistry. Anesthetizing a local area such as the cheek (buccal surface) requires different anesthetics and methodologies to general anesthetics. According to Doctor Spiller, the average dentist administers between 1,500 and 2,000 local anesthetics each year. Branch blocking is the term used to describe the localized blocking of pain in certain sensory receptors in dental surgery and minor dental procedures such as fillings. The buccal nerve connects receptors in the cheek to the brain and is therefore responsible for transmitting pain. During surgery, it can be effectively numbed using lidocaine.

Things You'll Need

• Sealed cartridge containing lidocaine
• 25-gauge dental syringe with needle
• Cheek retractor
• Sterile gloves

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Instructions

• 1

  Prepare a needle containing lidocaine solution by attaching a sealed cartridge of lidocaine to a breech-loading syringe. Also known as xylocaine or lignocaine, lidocaine is a modern local anesthetic that has replaced older versions including novocaine. It has a half-life in the body of only around two hours.

• 2

  Ask the patient to relax and open his mouth wide enough to insert the needle tip comfortably. You will need the help of a dental assistant to ensure this is carried out effectively.

• 3

  Position the cheek retractor between the buccal surface (this is the inner surface of the mouth) and the back teeth. Ensure you have a clear view of the injection site, which is located behind the third mandibular molar tooth, at the back of the buccal cavity (or mouth).

• 4

  Insert the needle slowly into the mucosa covering the retromolar fossa, which is found behind the third mandibular molar. The needle should penetrate the mucosa by 25 mm.

• 5

  Remove 1 mm of needle to allow the fluid in the syringe room to enter the mucosa without adding undue pressure to the tissue.

• 6

  Slowly syringe half a cartridge of anesthetic into the mucosa. This should take around 40 seconds.

• 7

  Gradually remove the needle.

• 8

  Wait for the patient to lose sensitization in the cheek, which becomes clear when she cannot speak properly, or feel the inside of her mouth any longer.

• 9

  If a molar is being removed, the other half of the lidocaine cartridge must be used on the opposite side of the tooth, in the gum tissue.