Dental anesthesia

Pain is the most common manifestation of dental disease and as such the advent of anesthesia may be regarded as a cornerstone in the development of modern dentistry.

Anesthesia is the administration of medication to allow medical procedures to be done without pain, and in some cases, without the patient being aware during the procedure.

There are four types of anesthesia:

· General Anesthesia

· Regional Anesthesia

· Local Anesthesia

· Monitored Anesthesia Care (Twilight Sleep)

General anesthesia is a type of sedation that uses several medications to render the patient unconscious and unable to move. The medications are given both through an IV and mixed with oxygen and inhaled.

Regional anesthesia is a method of pain prevention for surgeries and procedures. Instead of making the patient sleep through surgery, the area of the body that would feel pain is numbed, allowing the patient to have the procedure while awake.

Local anesthesia is a type of pain prevention used during minor procedures to numb a small site where pain is likely to occur without changing the patient's awareness.

A numbing medication is either applied to or injected into the area, sometimes with several small injections, and after a few minutes the area should be completely numb. If the area still has sensation, additional injections or applications may be given to insure total numbness.

Local anesthesia is most commonly associated with dental procedures, where the gum is numbed with an injection of medication.

Monitored Anesthesia Care is a type of sedation that is administered through an IV to make a patient sleepy and calm during a procedure. The patient is typically awake, but groggy, and is able to follow instructions as needed.

The type of anesthesia required for any dental procedure depends on the needs or preferences of the patient. You and your dentist will decide what level of anesthesia is right for you. Some patients prefer a higher level of anesthesia than others. Children, people with special needs, such as mental retardation, and those with a condition, such as a dental phobia may require a higher level of anesthesia. The type of anesthesia administered by your dentist is more dependent on individual patient preferences than specific dental procedures.

Lidocaine is the most common local anesthetic that dentists use. There are many others. They all have names ending in "-caine." Many people think of Novocain as the classic numbing drug. But Novocain actually is not used anymore. Other drugs last longer and work better than Novocain. These drugs also are less likely to cause allergic reactions.

There are two kinds of numbing injections. A block injection numbs an entire region of your mouth, such as one side of your lower jaw. An infiltration injection numbs a smaller area. This is the area near where the injection was given.

Your dentist needs to know about all the medications that you are taking, any allergic reactions you've had to medicines in the past, and your past and present health conditions. It's important that you answer your dentist's questions completely and ask about your concerns. This way your dentist will be sure to tell you everything you need to know before receiving treatment.

Ex.17. Find in the text the equivalents for the following Ukrainian words and word-combinations:

Попередження больових відчуттів, нижня щелепа, стоматологічна процедура, алергічні реакції, затримка розумового розвитку, внутрішньовенна ін’єкція, інфільтраційна анестезія, провідникова анестезія, найпоширеніший місцевий анестетик, викликати оніміння невеликої ділянки, стан здоров’я, тривати довше, залежати від індивідуальних переваг пацієнта.

Ex.18. Ask questions to the following sentences beginning with the words in brackets:

1. Pain is the most common manifestation of dental disease. (What?)
2. Anesthesia is the administration of medication to allow medical procedures to be done without pain. (What?)
3. There are four types of anesthesia. (How many?)
4. General anesthesia is a type of sedation that uses several medications to render the patient unconscious and unable to move. (What?)
5. Regional anesthesia is a method of pain prevention for surgeries and procedures. (What?)
6. A numbing medication is either applied to or injected into the area. (How?)
7. Additional injections or applications may be given to insure total numbness. (Why?)
8. The type of anesthesia depends on the needs or preferences of the patient. (What?)
9. Children, people with special needs, such as mental retardation, and those with a condition, such as a dental phobia may require a higher level of anesthesia. (Who?)
10. There are two kinds of numbing injections. (How many?)
11. Lidocaine is the most common local anesthetic that dentists use. (What?)

Ex.19. Insert the missing words:

1. Anesthesia is the administration of ______________ to allow medical procedures to be done without pain. 2. Lidocaine is the most common _________ anesthetic that dentists use. 3. Local anesthesia is a type of pain __________ to numb a small site without changing the patient's awareness. 4. Local anesthesia is most commonly associated with _________ procedures. 5. The type of anesthesia is dependent on individual ________ preferences.

Ex.20. Insert the missing prepositions(by, of, for, as, down, in) and translate the abstract:

Anesthesia is a controlled condition of unconsciousness induced ____ medication. Nowadays, dentists use a local anesthetic called Lidocaine, the modern replacement ___ Novocaine and procaine, which where discovered ___ 1905 ____ the German chemist Alfred Einhorn. Local anesthesia induces the absence ___ sensation ___ a part of the body, and general anesthesia induces a state of total unconsciousness. Anesthesia shuts _____ body functions such as consciousness, pain sensibility, defensive reflexes and muscle tension. Anesthetics also temporarily close down important protective reflexes such ___ breathing and coughing reflexes.