dental disorders
How To Do a Mental Nerve Block
Step by Step Description of Procedure
Wear nonsterile gloves and a mask and safety glasses, or a face shield Using your index finger and thumb, grasp and laterally retract the lower lip. Palpating the gingiva, identify the mental foramen 1 cm anterior and inferior to the apex of the 2nd lower premolar tooth. Use gauze to thoroughly dry the mucobuccal fold adjacent to the lower 1st and 2nd premolar teeth. Use suction as needed to keep the area dry. Apply topical anesthetic with cotton-tipped applicators and wait 2 to 3 minutes for the anesthesia to occur. Inject the local anesthetic Instruct the patient to slightly open the mouth and relax the jaw and cheek muscles. Again retract the lower lip laterally, to delineate the mucobuccal fold. Hold the anesthetic syringe such that the needle bevel faces the mandible. Insert the needle into the mucobuccal fold between the lower 1st and 2nd premolars. Advance the needle inferiorly, parallel to the teeth, about 0.5 to 1 cm. Do not contact bone. Aspirate, to rule out intravascular placement. If aspiration reveals an intravascular placement,withdraw the needle 2 to 3 mm, then re-aspirate prior to injection. Slowly inject about 1 to 2 mL of anesthetic adjacent to, but not into, the mental foramen. Massage the area externally for about 10 seconds to hasten the onset of anesthesia. 