Why do dentist do this?

I went to 4 different dentist over 2 monthsI had a fear of the numbness they all said you have to have a mandibular block to remove lower teeth, found a dentist that did a ligamaject numbed just the tooth lower jaw pulled it out no numb face,cheek,lip,tongue, just the tooth, it was great could have saved a bunch of money but they all said can not do anything but the block, not true why do dentist do this are some not skilled enough to give ligamaject and numb just a lower tooth, this has been around for years what is the problem are they to lazy to give the shots around the root or just again not skilled enough, my new dentist did great with this

Why do dentist do this?
1. Not everyone has a ligmaject


2. Ligmaject is not always reliable or possible


3. Ligmaject can cause post-op pain for some people
Reply:THAT DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK ON EVERYBODY WHAT IF YOU WERE FEELING IT DURING THE EXTRACTION AND THE DENTIST HAD TO GIVE YOU A BLOCK ANYWAYS WOULDNT YOU HAVE RATHER BEEN TOLD THAT WAS A POSSIBILITY
Reply:It's not an issue of keeping the ligamaject machine a secret or a matter of skill; this is a relatively new technique/machine that not all practioners know about, and is not a standard practice technique. the device works by placing an injection into the periodontal ligament (PDL). PDL injections are done in dentistry (without the device), but are not done on a regular basis since the injection is (1) technique sensitive (2) unpredictable (3) does not last very long (even though the anesthesia is rapid) and (4) usually attempted as a last resort when other blocks fail





As for not telling someone who has anxiety attacks about the PDL injection, would you honestly want to hear about an injection that has all of those negative aspects? The mandibular injection/block is a single injection that is a consistently dependable block that helps to anesthetize all nerves that are associated with pulling a lower third molar. the PDL on the other hand, is needs to be injected not in just one location, but multiple ones around the tooth.





And as for being lazy, i would hate for my patients to think that i'm doing the mandibular block because i'm lazy. I'm doing it because i'm making sure that ALL of their nerves, from the inferior alveolar and lingual, and some accessory nerves, are numb, prior to me going in and extracting/yanking out their tooth. Teeth are not innervated by one nerve going to each tooth; they are innervated by a series of nerves, and for the lower jaw, the inferior alveolar is the primary one.





Here are some links to help you understand why we numb with the mandibular block:


http://www.cda-adc.ca/jcda/vol-67/issue-...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferior_al...





As for it being around for 10 years, if it was such a succesful techinque, you would think it would be more used and more well known. What we do in dentistry is what is tried and true; the fact that most professionals didn't offer this technique may go to show that it isn't a standard procedure for a reason.
Reply:The first thing that popped out at me was the comment about saving money since you didn't have a mandibular block injection... first of all, you don't pay for anesthesia seperately, it's included in the fee for dental treatment, no matter what it is.





The second thing that popped was dentists not being 'skilled'...there can be 5 people who excel at doing the same thing, but ultimately only one will beat out the others.. like in a cooking contest.





Some dentists prefer the block, some prefer the lig...it's a matter of preference... kind of like choosing how to get rid of snow... you can shovel it or remove it with a snow-blower... two ways to do it, but the same outcome.





I'm happy you've found a dentist that you like, and more importantly, that you trust and feel comfortable with.





:)