Hesperian Health Guides
Chapter 9: Injecting Inside the Mouth
It is best to prevent dental problems by eating nutritious food and cleaning teeth to stop tooth decay and gum disease. When dental problems happen, they should be treated early using simple methods that do not cause pain. This is important as people may be afraid of dental care and so avoid treatment until problems are severe.
When dental problems become severe (for example, when an untreated cavity causes a tooth abscess), more advanced treatment is required. In these cases, it may be necessary to give an injection of local anesthetic inside the mouth.
When local anesthetic is injected near a nerve, the tooth joined to that nerve will feel numb for about an hour. This gives a dental worker time to do a treatment without the person feeling pain.
Injecting is a skill that develops with experience. The best way to learn is by watching an experienced dental worker give injections. That person can then watch to be sure you inject correctly and safely.
This page was updated:17 May 2024