Novocaine (or novocain), also known as procaine hydrochloride, is an anesthetic that is frequently used during dental treatments, like cavity fillings. It often works really rapidly and its results do not generally last long. While it is thought about a safe drug for most people by the FDA, there are some typical and some not-so-common Novacaine side effects that you ought to understand before using.
Dental Novocaine Usage
Novocain can be used for dental treatments such as filling cavities or as a spinal anesthetic. It is injected into the spine or the jaw to block the transmission of nerve sensation to the brain. This avoids the patient from recognizing pain. The Novocaine injection begins working within two to five minutes and lasts about 60 to 90 minutes.
Side Effects of Dental Novocaine
It’s suggested that you stop using novocaine and look for emergency situation medical attention or call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following uncommon but severe side effects:
- An allergy (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue or face; hives).
- Chest pain.
- Slow or irregular heartbeats.
- Dizziness or drowsiness.
- Nausea or vomitting.
- Trembling, shaking or seizures (convulsions).
It’s more than most likely that if you do experience an unwanted side effect, it won’t be of a serious nature. However, these less-serious impacts are likley to occur than the serious cousins. Numbness, tingling or minor pain at or around the injection site are all common side effects however in many cases, are not harmful. If side effects besides those noted take place, talk to your doctor as quickly as possible. Constantly make sure, too, that you inform your doctor about any medications you’re taking, as certain medications might not blend well with novocaine.
The most typical side effects are numbness, tingling and some minor pain around the injection site. These side effects are usually not severe and typically go away within a few hours of the injection. Sometimes, other more severe side effects take place, such as difficulty breathing, swelling, hives, or closing of the throat. These are the signs of an allergy and have to be dealt with right now. Other unusual side effects include chest pain or irregular heart beats, dizziness or drowsiness, stress and anxiety, restlessness, queasiness, vomiting, trembling, or seizures. These are much less typical, but since they can be very unsafe, it is very important to tell your dental professional right away if you experience any of them.
Your dental professional will identify the best dose of Novocaine to use for you. It is extremely important for you to inform your dental expert about any medications that you are taking, both over the counter and prescriptions, in addition to any health conditions that you have. In some cases Novocaine can connect with other drugs, causing dangerous side effects, or it can make some health conditions even worse. Being in advance with your dental professional about medications and health conditions will assist decrease the risk of you experiencing any hazardous Novocaine side effects.
Composition and pharmacological properties of Novocaine
Novocaine active substance is procaine hydrochloride 10 mg in 2 ml or 25 mg in 5 ml solution; auxiliary substances – hydrochloric acid, water for injection. Novocaine is a local anesthetic drug. Its action is based on disruption of nerve impulses from the brain to the painful area, as well as on reduction of spasms of smooth muscles.
Information: The action of novocaine lasts for 0.5-1 hours. To prolong the analgesic effect, it is necessary to use the remedy in combination with adrenaline. As the concentration of solutions increases, the total dose is recommended to decrease.
How to take Novocain at home for a toothache
There are two main ways to take Novocaine at home – local application (using a bandage tampon) and gargling with Novocaine solution.
Local application
To relieve pain with Novocaine, open an ampoule of the drug and moisten a pre-prepared bandage swab. The resulting compress should be applied to the gum next to the painful tooth. If the novocaine works, you will feel a frosty sensation in the mouth. To achieve the effect, tampons with the drug should be changed every half hour. If the pain does not go away, it means that the novocaine has not reached the center of pain. In this case, you should take an analgesic tablet.
It is not recommended to swallow saliva, in which novocaine has got in. This can lead to an allergic reaction, which can cause the drug if ingested.
Contraindications and side effects of Novocaine
Absolute contraindications to the use of Novocaine:
- Hypersensitivity to the components of the drug.
- Age under 18 years. In exceptional cases it is allowed to use from the age of 15 years.
- blood loss;
- Diseases of the heart and cardiovascular system (various blockages, prolapses);
- Liver, intestinal and kidney diseases;
- Age over 65 years;
- Pregnancy and lactation;
- The presence of viral diseases.
In this case, the use of novocaine is undesirable. However, the attending physician may prescribe it in the absence of an alternative.
Novocain use may be accompanied by side effects:
- migraine and dizziness;
- General weakness and a constant desire to sleep;
- loss of consciousness;
- impaired fine motor skills;
- visual and hearing impairment;
- involuntary pupil movements;
- partial paralysis of various parts of the body;
- pains in the heart and organs;
- involuntary urination.
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- increased hemoglobin levels;
- allergic reactions – itching, urticaria, rash.
- In rare cases, anaphylactic shock may occur.
- In rare cases, itching and rashes in the anus area may occur.
Since Novocaine has many contraindications and side effects, it is only available with a doctor’s prescription.
Does Novocaine Have Any Side Effects Besides the Numbness?
I need to have a tooth pulled and will be getting novocaine for the first time (I’m 20). Are there any side effects besides the numbness I should be fretted about? Is it bad for your body in any way?
Answer: Having a tooth pulled can be an aggravating experience, so you need to don’t hesitate to resolve all your concerns and concerns to your dental professional. She or he should have the ability to review the procedure itself along with what you need to expect afterwards.
Novocaine is a local anesthetic that has actually been used in dentistry for a long time. When injected into the gums, it provides effective pain control for dental procedures. It works especially well for dental treatments due to the fact that it works rapidly (within a couple of minutes) and wears away fairly quickly (usually within 1-3 hours). Novocaine ought to not be used in people with a history of previous allergies to the drug, but such reactions are rather unusual and your dental service provider will have appropriate medical devices on hand to resolve this should it happen.
Novocaine (and other anesthetics in the same basic class) can cause numerous undesirable responses if absorbed systemically, including results on the nervous system and the heart. Nevertheless, when used for dental anesthesia, there is a practically minimal risk of this taking place because the drug is being injected only into the soft tissue, NOT into a blood vessel.
Overall, novocaine is an extremely useful medication for treatments such as dental extractions because it enables patients to safely, calmly, and painlessly get the dental care they need.
What alternatives to novocaine are used in modern dentistry?
Answer: Doctors mainly prefer preparations based on articaine (the most effective compound – 5 times stronger than novocaine). The trade name of the articaine-based drugs is ultracaine, ubistezine, septanest. Mepivacaine-based anesthetics are also used, such as scandoneast and mepivastezine. Lidocaine is not a thing of the past either: xylonor is made on its basis.
Is it possible to die from a Novocaine shot in the gum?
Answer: Although doctors do not rule out the possibility of a lethal outcome after injecting novocaine, it is still a very rare and unusual case. However, in order to avoid serious consequences from the use of this substance, you should follow certain rules.
It is imperative for the doctor to know, and it is important for the patient to talk about everything related to allergies. Unwanted reactions, seizures, collapses – often all this is not caused by the action of the anesthetic substance, but precisely the additives. Hypertensives, for example, are contraindicated vasoconstrictor supplements, otherwise the blood pressure will rise. Therefore, the anesthetic should either be without vasoconstrictors at all or contain them in a very small concentration. In pregnancy (in which case dental treatment is best performed in the second trimester) vasoconstrictors can affect smooth muscle tone and the uterus.
Each patient requires an individual, selective approach when choosing anesthesia before dental treatment. And modern medicine allows you to choose a highly individualized method of anesthesia.
