If your child requires an injection of local anesthetic for their procedure, Dr. Aliotti has special techniques to make it as painless as possible. First, she uses a specially compounded topical anesthetic cream which is applied for 2-3 minutes prior to the injection. It numbs the top layer of the gums so the patient will not feel the “pinch” from the needle. For patients that are on laughing gas, there is enough analgesia from the gas so the patient will not feel the injection. For patients who are not on laughing gas, Dr. Aliotti may use the DentalVibe. This is a device which vibrates very fast next to the injection site and it “confuses” the nerves so the nerve is unable to identify pain.
If your child is scheduled for an appointment and you think they may get an injection, it is best to not mention anything about the “shot” to your child as it will cause anxiety. We are experts at hiding the “shot” and making it so the patient does not have discomfort. Usually, if the patient is unaware that there is an injection, they will not even realize they got a “shot.”
