How lidocaine work?

[Pawelk198604]

I should kiss the feet, the chemist who invented this wonderful substances :-)

Today I had a wisdom tooth removed, it was the first molar tooth I've ever had removed. Previously, as a kid I had milk teeth removed, t were not good memories.

Today I had the surgery almost nothing hurt, it was a little uncomfortable, but overall it was a-OK.

With lidocaine almost nothing hurt, it is true the doctor had to give me two shots to finally worked.

The only side effect was such that after treatment I had a partially paralyzed face, the doctor said that it will pass after 2 - 3 hours, but by this time I had a speech like

I wonder what causes such drugs as Lidocaine that almost did not feel pain?

Edited July 21, 2014 by Pawelk198604

[webkilla]

Preface: I'm not a medical student or anything - but I have a doctor and several nurses in my immediate family, so I have listened in on some dinner table convos...

As I understand it: It blocks nerve signals. Its that simple. Its used as an effective local anesthetic all over the world.

Now keep in mind that its via your nerve pathways that you control your body, send signals to your muscles and in turn receive sensory feedback - which explains why your face gets droopy after dental surgery: You've essentially turned the parts around the surgery off through exposure to the stuff.

Think of it this way: The dentist yanks out your bad tooth. Your body wants to send a big ol' pain signal to your brain, letting you know what just happened. Lidocain blocks that signal. But it also blocks signals going from the brain to your jaw and parts of face (depending on where you've been anesthetized) so your brain can't tell the muscles in your face to stay taught and keep your lip up and stuff.

[Ralathon]

For this you first need to understand how nerves work. A nervecell can transfer a signal by maintaining

. When a signal transfers along a nerve signal it does so by disrupting this balance after which the cell needs to recover back to the status quo. A local anastheasia like lidocaine works by temporarily blocking the pumps that the cell uses to recover. So no further signals can travel along the nerve for a couple of hours. The nerves that carry pain are luckily also the least protected of all nerves, so you don't need much to block them. This is also why you can't feel pain, but you'll still feel pressures and can still move.

[Pawelk198604]

I remember this young dentist could see that fresh out of college, was surprised to have to give me two lidocaine: D

He gave the first dose nothing had happened, he was a little surprised, he gave me a second dose of something started something work, but clearly I could see that I'm still not anesthetized, he begins to worry I told him: "Maybe the doctor will give the third dose, I wanted to finally pulled the tooth. "He answered me

"You do not understand fully Lidocaine is a very strong agent that you do not want something to happen?

He said that he would have would be to consult with his colleague, mentor probably had about forty, the second dentist. However, at the end of anesthesia began work , albeit with a delay, and finally began to work, the older dentist supervised him, was not even funny when the guy there scolded him, and explained how this young dentist has me pull out me wisdom tooth:D

Well that in Poland we do not have to pay for the dentist.

Pays for everything, National Health Fund

[Idobox]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidocaine#Pharmacokinetics

Apparently it blocks fast sodium channels in neurons, and without those, they can't "spike", which means they can't propagate information any more. And for some reason, sensory neurons are more sensitive than motors ones, explaining that you can still move with low doses.

[szputnyik]

Well that in Poland we do not have to pay for the dentist.

Pays for everything, National Health Fund

In Hungary, dental extractions and other simple dental procedures are also free, but only at state-owned dental clinics. Most people who can afford private dentists avoid them though, because there is a stereotype that state dentists are brutal, do a shabby job, and use old East German equipment. That was maybe true 20 years ago, but conditions are improving. Nonetheless in the Hungarian psyche State Dentist=Medieval Torture Chamber

[Pawelk198604]

In Hungary, dental extractions and other simple dental procedures are also free, but only at state-owned dental clinics. Most people who can afford private dentists avoid them though, because there is a stereotype that state dentists are brutal, do a shabby job, and use old East German equipment. That was maybe true 20 years ago, but conditions are improving. Nonetheless in the Hungarian psyche State Dentist=Medieval Torture Chamber

Similar stereotypes are in Poland.

And yet the same dentist doing treatments under contract with the National Health Fund in his\her private office, which also accepts private patients, if there have been any complaints about the level of service the National Health Fund could terminate the contract, and revenues from contracts with the NFZ are large percentage of revenues dental offices, besides if the doctor did harm to the patient with the NHF, has the right to sue a doctor, an atkich same basis as private patients

[jwenting]

I remember this young dentist could see that fresh out of college, was surprised to have to give me two lidocaine: D

He gave the first dose nothing had happened, he was a little surprised, he gave me a second dose of something started something work, but clearly I could see that I'm still not anesthetized, he begins to worry I told him: "Maybe the doctor will give the third dose, I wanted to finally pulled the tooth. "He answered me

"You do not understand fully Lidocaine is a very strong agent that you do not want something to happen?

Only 2 doses? once needed 6 doses in my big toe before it started to work when I needed surgery on my foot...

Was swollen badly before, after injecting that much stuff into it it was even worse.

[WinkAllKerb'']

it's just like any molecule we can feed naturally/artificially our brain with, it just fill a chemical key hole.

[xcorps]

Well that in Poland we do not have to pay for the dentist.

Pays for everything, National Health Fund

Is that why you asked for dental advice on the internet?

[jwenting]

Is that why you asked for dental advice on the internet?

from his other posts it looks like he's a firm believer in conspiracy theorists and doesn't trust any scientist or other expert (and that would include doctors), rather trusting the opinions of anonymous kids on some website as being true than that of people trained in the field they're talking about.