Thereare thousands of people who don’t see a dentist because of their fearof the injections needed for dental work or their discomfort whentheir teeth are cleaned. Since dental care is such an important partof a person’s overall health, researchers have developed techniquesand products that can help alleviate the pain that causes the fear inpatients. A TopicalAnesthetic Gelis one of the products dentists use to help patients feel betterabout getting needed injections.

ATopical Anesthetic Gel numbs the soft tissues of the mouth,such as the gums and the inside of the mouth. It is typically givento numb the area where an anesthetic injection will be administered,so that the needle won’t cause as much pain. It’s usually appliedwith a cotton swab and left on the soft tissue for about a minutebefore the injection is given. Research has shown that for maximumeffectiveness the gel needs to remain on the soft tissue for at least60 seconds before the injection is given. Otherwise, itspain-reducing properties won’t work efficiently. The gel doesn’tprovide pain reduction when a tooth needs to be treated. Toaccomplish this, an injection of an anesthetic must be given to numbthe tooth’s nerves.

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