Dental Anesthesia

Dental 03/02/2010

Question:

i am allergy to bezocaine last time i used orajel for my to ache i stared fellig nervuosly dissy and fast hart palpitations i got scare but then it go away if i am allergy wat can i do to control my pain or if the dentist have to extract the tooth.

Answer:

Benzocaine is a type of local anesthetic that is used topically in dentistry.  Other local anesthetics that are given by injection, such as lidocaine or mepivicaine, are a different type you should not be allergic to.  Your dentist should not use topical anesthesia before the injection, however, if you had a true allergic reaction to benzocaine.  Therefore, you should be fine with injectable dental local anesthetics for your tooth extraction.  

Please discuss this with your dentist, however, if there are details that might have been missed in your brief history presented here.  

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Response by:

Steven I Ganzberg, SB, DMD, MS Former Clinical Professor of Dentistry College of Dentistry The Ohio State University