About two months ago, I read in a dental journal about this new local anesthetic (Septocaine). The article’s authors had written very positively about it, and my interest was piqued. I decided to try Septocaine and found that it was indeed superior to the other local anesthetics that I had been using. I found that my patients became more numb than before, and the vast majority told me that they felt no pain during routine or surgical dental procedures.

It is hard to overstate the importance of a strong local anesthetic. The ability to get a patient numb is fundamental to performing dental treatment painlessly. Procedures that include dental fillings, root canal, having a tooth removed, crowns (caps), implants, gum procedures, etc. would be nearly intolerable without effective local anesthesia. In fact, patients who suffered through dental procedures many years ago without the benefit of local anesthesia may still harbor fears about their experience to this very day.

Although one recent study on Septocaine found it to be equally as effective as other dental anesthetics, I suspect that may change in the future. For now, it’s good to know that all dentists have access to a great new dental anesthetic to aid in patient comfort.