Anesthetic testing is most effective in localizing pain
Correct Answer: to the mandible or maxilla.
Description: Selective Anesthesia
When symptoms are not localized or referred, the diagnosis may be challenging. Sometimes the patient may not even be able to specify whether the symptoms are emanating from the maxillary or mandibular arch. In these instances, when pulp testing is inconclusive, selective anesthesia may be helpful.If the patient cannot determine which arch the pain is coming from, then the clinician should first selectively anesthetize the maxillary arch. This should be accomplished by using a periodontal ligament (intraligamentary) injection. The injection is administered to the most posterior tooth in the quadrant of the arch that may be suspected, starting from the distal sulcus. The anesthesia is subsequently administered in an anterior direction, one tooth at a time, until the pain is eliminated. If the pain is not eliminated after an appropriate period of time, then the clinician should similarly repeat this technique on the mandibular teeth below. It should be under-stood that periodontal ligament injections may anesthetize an adjacent tooth and thus are more useful for identifying the arch rather than the specific tooth.
Cohen's Pathway of the Pulp ed:11th Pg20
Category:
Dental
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