One of the major myths in the treatment practices of dentists is the usage of Novocaine. There are a lot of myths that are in existence with the profession of a dentist. I am quite habituated with the queries of the patients. For instance, as a dentist, I would like to state that the Novocaine myth is one of the most common myths. On the other hand, many dentists have the opinion that their patients are very curious about the dosages of Novocaine.
Many have also asked them about the frequency of using this drug. Novocaine is an anaesthetic agent that is being given to the patients just before the surgery. Many dentists do not correct the patient unless they
are from a medical or a pharmaceutical company. However, many modern day dentists are of the opinion that the usage of Novocaine was stopped 30 years ago. Nowadays, they use more potent anaesthetic agents that are more efficient and do not create allergic reactions.
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A brief on the local anaesthetics in the field of dental science
For over 100 years, the use of local analgesics is quite widespread. This is so because it helped the patients to experience painless surgical procedures. You would be fascinated to know that the first widely used local anaesthetic was Cocaine. It was first used in the dental process in the year 1884. Before Cocaine, a large number of techniques were used. For instance, the consumption of large quantities of alcohol before a dental procedure is one such example. However, Cocaine was also more efficient than drinking. But, there are many drawbacks and the most notable one was that it could contribute to addiction. Moreover, it has a concise lasting action, and it also has a devastating effect on the cardiovascular system and the entire heart.
In the subsequent years, many advanced and efficient anaesthetic medicines were developed. With the tremendous amount of advancement, in the year 1905, procaine was developed. It adopted as a replacement of Cocaine. Another manufacturer came up with a new anaesthetic medicine called the Novocaine. However, with the branding and marketing strategies, this herb was made accessible, and a large number of dentists began using this. In this context, it is in good to note that the popularity of this anaesthetic medicine Novocaine made it familiar to the Americans.
It is also vital to note that Novocaine was used as an anaesthetic agent widely in the early decades of the 1900s. However, soon it came to the fore that a large number of patients have developed allergic reactions. Some reactions were mild, and some were serious. This is the reason that a majority of the dentists stopped using this medicine. As a result, a new class of local anaesthetics were developed in the year 1940s. The prototypes of Novocaine were established in the year 1945, and hence the use of Novocaine started to decline. By the 1980s, almost a majority of the dentists stopped the usage of Novocaine. In place of Novocaine, lidocaine became one of the most sought-after anaesthetic drugs.
The reasons for the existence of this dental myth
One of the most widely accepted views in this can be in the form of the fact that the parents used to tell the kids about this medicine. Hence, it is quite reasonable that the kids learnt about Novocaine from their parents. On the other hand, many parents also indoctrinate their kids with phobias about dentistry. Moreover, procaine is known by the generic name of Novocaine. It is still used in specific fields in healthcare. Also, other various local anaesthetics in the same family are known by the name of Novocaine. Hence, it can be a reason for the persistence of the myth of Novocaine. Many tales are related to the field of dental science. Therefore, it is quite common the patients love to tell dental stories. On the other hand, exaggeration on the part of the patients is another main thing that gives rise to these myths.
Conclusion: Dentists have not used Novocaine from Past 35 years because of its side effects and problems mentioned above.
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