Alternatives to Novocaine

Posted by ijaz

Alternatives to Novocaine

I have a problem where Novocaine does not work for me. My dentist can give me several shots and nothing. Is there an alternative? I have to have some work done but I’ve been avoiding it because dental work is a nightmare for me.

Bennett

Dear Bennett,

I’m sorry you’ve had such terrible experiences. It is impressive that you keep going back. This says a lot about your strength of character, resolve, and desire to upkeep your oral health. My guess is with the amount of dental trauma you have experienced, there is, at the least, a mild amount of dental anxiety. That means your body is probably burning off the Novocaine. Most dentists do not realize how our anxiety affects our metabolism. The bad news is that any substitute will have the exact same reaction. The good news is there is a solution that will not even require a substitute.

What you need is a sedation dentist. Using sedation relaxes your body. If your body is relaxed, the medication will work and you will have an pain-free/anxiety-free dental appointment. You will find it changes your life. You will have less stressful dental appointments from now on. People who haven’t been able to go to the dentist in years find they are able to catch up quickly.

Most patients are so relaxed they sleep through their appointments. You will find that your dentist will be able to do much more work at each appointment you have as a result too.

This blog is brought to you by North Haven Dentist Dr. Asma Ijaz.