How does a dentist numb your mouth for All on 4 implants? I am asking because most of my life, I was not nervous about dental appointments. But within the past four years, as my overall anxiety increased, so did my anxiety at the dentist. Before getting dentures, my dentist could not get my mouth numb. Now that I have decided to get implant dentures, I am concerned that a dentist will have trouble numbing my mouth for All on 4 implants. Is the process any different? What does a dentist do to numb your mouth for All on 4? Nyasia from TN
Nyasia,
Most patients have some anxiety when receiving dental work. When a dentist repeatedly injects a local anesthetic but cannot numb the area, your anxiety is most likely the culprit. High anxiety levels counteract local anesthetic and can sometimes make it impossible to numb your mouth.
How Will a Dentist Numb Your Mouth for All-on-4?
A dentist will numb your mouth for All-on-4 dental implants with a local anesthetic. If you have a history of not getting numb with a local anesthetic, discuss it with your implant dentist.
Anti-anxiety medication
All-on-four Dental Implants
Anti-anxiety medication, such as Valium or Halcion—which your dentist may prescribe before implant procedures anyway—will calm you. If you take the medication within an hour before your appointment, it will relax you enough so that local anesthetic injections will be effective. Arrange for transportation to and from your oral surgery.
Numbing your mouth
Before injecting the local anesthetic, your dentist will apply a numbing gel to your gums. You will not feel the injection, but it will work. Sedation will help you relax throughout your All-on-4 procedure. And local anesthetic will prevent you from feeling pain.
Before choosing an implant dentist, look for one with advanced training in dental implants. It will help ensure you get high-quality implants and a successful outcome.
Siny Thomas, DDS, an implant dentist in Sugar Land, Texas, sponsors this post.