How long does it take for a frozen tooth to go away?

Today, anesthesia in dentistry is used everywhere for a variety of procedures, from hygienic cleaning to implantation. An anesthetic injection not only provides comfort to the patient, but also significantly facilitates the doctor’s work.

Read in this article:

How long does tooth freezing last?
Treatment and removal - is there a difference in pain relief?
How long does dental anesthesia last?
What to do to make dental anesthesia go faster
4 tips on how to “freeze off” faster
What to do if numbness of teeth does not go away after anesthesia
What's the result?

The anesthetic technique is selected taking into account the type of manipulation and implies a certain exposure time. After administration of the drug, the tissues surrounding the tooth are “frozen” and stop responding to any irritants. Sometimes this lasts much longer than necessary and does not allow you to return to your usual rhythm.

Treatment and removal - is there a difference in pain relief?

There are 3 types of anesthesia most commonly used:

application;
infiltration;
conductor.

Freezing during tooth extraction is mainly conductive, since it turns off large nerve trunks and lasts longer, about several hours. Teeth are treated primarily with infiltration anesthesia, the effect of which lasts from 15 minutes to 1 hour.

Applications are used to perform small procedures, often in children. Local application of Lidocaine 10% can only numb the injection site. Therefore, it can hardly be called freezing.

The type of anesthesia is determined based on which area needs to be numbed. For example, freezing when treating teeth on the upper jaw and in the area of the lower incisors is usually infiltrative: an injection is made into the transitional fold area of the diseased tooth.

Attention!

Infiltration anesthesia can also be used when removing upper or lower anterior teeth. Therefore, sensitivity in these places usually returns faster.

The transitional fold is located on the border of the lower part of the gum and the mobile mucous membrane of the cheek or lip. After administration of the medicine, an infiltrate is formed here - a kind of depot, from which the anesthetic quickly spreads to the jaw bone.

As for conduction anesthesia, it is used not only for removal, but also for treatment, especially of molars. This is due to the properties of the structure of the mandibular bone - it is more dense and voluminous. Moreover, the density and dimensions increase closer to the corners of the jaw.

Scandonest SVC

If the patient belongs to a risk group (with severe concomitant diseases , in particular cardiovascular pathology ), the use of an anesthetic solution with adrenaline, a vasoconstrictor, should be completely abandoned. In such cases we use Scandonest SVC . This anesthetic exhibits a vasoconstrictor effect, i.e. has vasoconstrictor properties and can therefore be used without adrenaline, which means that the drug does not contain sulfites and can also be used in patients with bronchial asthma and allergic conditions (after an allergy test). Scandonest SVC is a medium-strength anesthetic; provides anesthesia, depending on which part of the jaw the doctor disconnects from pain sensitivity, for 20 - 90 minutes, which sets it apart from the group of other non-adrenaline anesthetics.

How long does dental anesthesia last?

On average, the freezing effect lasts 1-2 hours. However, its duration depends on the drug used: for example, injections with Novocaine anesthetize for no more than half an hour, Bupivacaine acts for at least 2 hours. Modern clinics mainly use anesthetics containing Articaine, which freezes tissue for up to 3 hours.

The infiltration anesthesia on the upper jaw will wear off in 45 minutes at most. This is due to the structure of the maxillary bone, which is looser and better supplied with blood.

Freezing after tooth extraction will last longer if the anesthetic contains a vasoconstrictor - a substance that constricts blood vessels and prolongs pain relief.

Methods used in dental practice

How long it takes for the anesthesia effect to disappear depends directly on the method of anesthesia used. The sensitivity of tissues is restored most quickly when using an application. The doctor applies a special gel to the area of upcoming manipulations, which “freezes” for about fifteen minutes.

If the anesthetic medication was administered using a syringe and needle, the area will remain numb for up to one to three hours. The exact time is determined by the location of the treated area, the dose and type of drug.

What to do if numbness of teeth does not go away after anesthesia

Lack of sensitivity can last for quite a long time, especially after the removal of difficult wisdom teeth. Sometimes you have to wait 8 or even 9 hours for “defrosting”.

If all the normal deadlines have passed, and the numbness of the gums, tongue or nose does not go away, you should consult a dentist. It is possible that during the manipulations the nerve that is responsible for the innervation of the mucous membranes of the nose or tongue was damaged.

This happens when extracting figure eights with roots that come close to the mandibular nerve trunk. Fortunately, this situation is very rare, occurring in only 0.5% of patients.

But even if you fall into this half a percent, it is fixable. Over time, the nerve recovers and sensitivity returns. The bad news is that sometimes the recovery process takes several months (but no more than six months), and it is impossible to speed it up.

What to do to quickly forget about dental intervention

Very often, upon returning home, the patient continues to feel numbness in part of the jaw. This condition can cause discomfort and even mild aching pain. In order for tissue sensitivity to be restored as quickly as possible, the following rules should be followed:

On the eve of planned dental procedures, avoid drinking alcohol , fatty and heavy foods. If a specialist recommends taking any medications, it is important to follow his prescription.
In the case of treating caries , removing tartar, grinding down the top layer of enamel under a crown, it is permissible to massage the gums. You can also drink warm tea or heated water. These simple methods will increase local blood circulation and create conditions for the speedy release of anesthesia. But, if anesthesia was administered before tooth extraction, there should be no talk of any self-massage - touching the hole with your hands is strictly prohibited. Otherwise, you can damage the blood clot that protects the wound from the penetration of bacteria and germs. This will lead to severe inflammation and bleeding.

Don't be alarmed if the anesthetic continues to work for up to six hours. The situation will normalize on its own. If the numbness does not go away longer, this is a reason to consult a dentist again.

What is local anesthesia?

Local anesthesia allows you to numb the specific area where the intervention is planned. The patient is conscious. And this is actually more than enough even for complex surgical operations.

For local administration of all types of anesthetics, special reusable syringes are used, which have a recess for inserting a carpule - this is a hermetically sealed ampoule with an anesthetic. Unlike disposable ones, carpule syringes have a thinner needle, which allows you to administer the drug slowly and thus eliminate pain. All syringes for reusable use must undergo antiseptic treatment and sterilization using modern ultrasonic and temperature sterilization equipment.

What is sedation?

Sedation is a type of anesthesia that uses sedatives to put the patient into a light sleep.

Kinds:

Pharmacological – used for adult patients, through intravenous administration of the latest generation sedatives.

Oxygen – intended for children, used with a nasal mask.

Main contraindications to sedation

In adults:

Allergy to local anesthetics
Neuromuscular disorders
Pregnancy;

In children:

Under three years of age
Cough, runny nose, rhinitis
Epilepsy;

It is necessary to prepare for the sedation procedure. Firstly, you need to avoid eating 3-6 hours before the procedure, and secondly, avoid drinking alcohol 24 hours before.

Features of tooth extraction in pregnant women

Pain relief methods such as sedation and general anesthesia should not be used, as this may negatively affect the general condition of the fetus.
It is possible to use local anesthetics, since the effect on the fetus is minimal
To obtain a dental image, it is recommended to use a radiovisiograph; X-rays are contraindicated.
Tooth extraction can be carried out during the period from 13 to 23 weeks of pregnancy, but if there is no urgent need, then it is better to postpone the procedure;

Indications and advantages of local anesthesia

Since local anesthesia is used everywhere, the indications for its use are very wide. Modern drugs are of very high quality and completely safe (especially if you use them thoughtfully, having first collected a high-quality anamnesis about the patient’s health condition). The level of stress from treatment without anesthesia, and especially with acute pain, can be prohibitive - very often after this, patients refuse to visit the dentist, causing dental problems. Do not be afraid of anesthesia - you will not receive such a “dose” of the drug that will harm you, even if you have to treat your teeth for several days in a row.

Indications for local anesthesia

removal of dental plaque,
dental treatment of any complexity,
performing plastic surgery on gums,
tooth extraction,
surgical operations in the oral cavity,
preparation and implementation of dental implantation.

Advantages

complete relief of any painful sensations,
safety, no toxic effects on the body,
rapid elimination from the body,
minimum side effects,
the choice of drug based on the health status and age of the patient.

The use of anesthesia for health pathologies

diabetes mellitus, bronchial asthma, allergic reactions: anesthetics without preservatives and with a minimal amount of epinephrine are used. For these problems, medications are selected strictly individually, most often based on the results of additional tests,
high blood pressure, heart disease: with minimal or no epinephrine. It is also important that anesthetics do not contain adrenaline. For these pathologies, intravenous or xenon sedation can be used,
pregnancy and lactation: drugs with a low content of epinephrine - in minimal dosages, the active substance does not cross the placenta and practically does not enter breast milk (only in small quantities, but this does not have any negative effect, so after dental treatment you can not skip feeding and no need to express milk). It is important that the drugs cannot be used without the addition of the vasoconstrictor epinephrine - in this case, the vessels remain open and the active substance will quickly spread throughout the body, which increases the risk of its transmission to the fetus or child through breast milk.

Sedation and anesthesia - is it safe?

Yes, if they are carried out by professional doctors who have extensive experience and have undergone appropriate training (and a license is also required to perform general anesthesia - this requires an anesthesiologist-resuscitator), then the procedure will be completely safe. In addition, for complex and long-term implantation, the use of sedation is even preferable - you are less tired, you do not need to focus on keeping your mouth open for several hours and fixing your head in a certain position. For you, 3-4 hours of surgery passes in an instant. You will be under the supervision of specialists, and before the operation you will undergo a fairly extensive list of tests for high-quality preparation for treatment and selection of the most suitable, safe drug.

1 Zoryan E.V. Errors and complications when performing local anesthesia in dentistry, 2007.

Tooth eruption problems. Wisdom tooth removal in advance

Many patients think that if the wisdom tooth is not visible on the gum, then there is no need to worry. However, over time, this molar increases in size and begins to interfere with the others. Waiting until the wisdom molar appears can lead to the following problems:

pain in the tooth and gum;
caries between molars;
curvature of the roots of a healthy chewing tooth;
infection in the place where the molar erupts because it grows incorrectly;
curvature of the bite.

It is easier for a doctor to pick up and remove a tooth that has not yet come out. So while there is no pain, it is better to have surgery in advance.

If the doctor has placed a temporary filling

A temporary filling is made of a fragile material and is placed for several days to close the tooth cavity with the medicine placed inside. The patient’s task is not to damage the temporary filling until the next visit to the dentist:

teeth are brushed with care; the pressure of the toothbrush on the tooth on which the temporary filling is placed should be minimal;
It is better to exclude very hot and very cold foods and drinks. You cannot eat hot and cold at the same time;
The chewing load on the filled tooth should be limited; it is better not to chew food with it, if possible.

Children

It should be noted separately the features of local anesthesia in children. The technique of local anesthesia in children must be planned so that 100% pain relief is achieved at all stages of treatment, otherwise it will be impossible to carry out the necessary manipulations.

As mentioned above, children under 5 years of age are given an anesthetic without adrenaline (3% scandonest SVC, or septanest 4% SVC).

Children over 5 years old can use an anesthetic with low concentration adrenaline (1:200,000 - Ultracaine DS). The dose of drugs is selected depending on age. Pain relief is performed in children in 3 stages:

First, a superficial anesthetic gel is applied
then a small dose (0.1-0.2 ml) of anesthetic is administered;
after which, after 60-90 seconds (time sufficient for effective anesthesia of the needle path in the soft tissues), the remaining amount of the planned dose of anesthetic is administered.

We wait 5-10 minutes until complete anesthesia occurs. The child, feeling a complete absence of pain, gains confidence in the doctor and gives the opportunity to carry out the necessary intervention.

Xenon sedation or xenon therapy to prepare for main anesthesia

This is a separate type of anesthesia that can be used in combination with both local and general anesthesia (if necessary). Xenon is an inert gas that quickly begins to act and is just as quickly eliminated from the body. It has a relaxing effect: anxiety decreases, the patient relaxes. Moreover, during the operation he is fully conscious, can communicate with the doctor, and understands everything that is happening around him. The procedure can be interrupted if necessary if there is discomfort. At the same time, local anesthetics are used, since xenon itself does not have a pronounced analgesic effect.

Among the pleasant “bonuses” are saturation of cells with oxygen and restoration of metabolic processes. That is, this is not only a reduction in stress, but also a general improvement in the body’s health.

Removal of a wisdom tooth on the lower jaw

Most people of conscious age go to the dentist because of problems with their lower wisdom teeth.
They often interfere, put pressure on neighboring molars, and cause discomfort or pain after eating. Most often, wisdom teeth in the lower jaw appear between the ages of 20 and 25, although the timing varies from person to person; for some, they may appear at the age of 16, for others closer to 40 years. In most cases, the appearance of figure eights is accompanied by various complications that require their removal. Malocclusion, difficulty in teething, tumors and trauma to the mucous membrane and much more.

Types of anesthesia in dentistry

Anesthesia in dentistry can be general or local. The first includes intravenous sedation, as well as general anesthesia. That is, the drugs do not act locally in the oral cavity, but throughout the entire body. Actually, this is ordinary general anesthesia, which is used everywhere in medicine - it’s just that certain types are used in dentistry. Local, as it is already becoming clear, includes the familiar “freezing”, which is administered by injection.

Separately, we can also distinguish xenon sedation or xenon therapy - the second name will be even more correct, since such anesthesia is used to prepare for local or general anesthesia. It allows you to reduce the level of anxiety and stress, saturates the body's cells with oxygen, due to which it has a general healing and even rejuvenating effect! It is not an independent type of pain relief, but is used in combination with other approaches.