Emergency Dental Anesthesia Blocks

Emergency Dental Anesthesia Blocks
April/June 2007
Marc L. Daymude MD, FACEP
Michael W. Hilliard MD, FACEP
Nursing Center

Traumatic and nontraumatic processes resulting in dental pain are common presentations in the emergency and acute care setting. Patients often present on weekends or after hours when acute dental care is not available. For most acute dental pain, emergent dental consultation is not clinically warranted, even if available. The emergent and acute care provider is left with limited options for acute pain management. One analgesic option is the application of peripheral nerve blocks. This article will discuss the local anesthetic agents, their potential toxicities, and their application in the 2 most commonly used peripheral nerve blocks for dental anesthesia.

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