The pharmacology of local anesthetics

As practitioners of dentistry we are truly fortunate to have these wonder agents which we tend to use like water everyday. It is estimated that over 11,000,000 cartridges of local anesthetics are administered every year in Ontario. The incredible safety record speaks for itself. However, we must caution ourselves that a local anesthetic is a drug and as such demands our ongoing skill, care and judgment for each individual case.