Oral

Coming Soon: Get a Sniff of Novocaine, Rather than a Shot

Since its introduction in 1844 by dentist Dr. Horace Wells, the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to the medical world as a means for inducing conscious sedation for surgery, dentists have been in the forefront in discovering, testing and applying new techniques and materials for obtaining anesthesia for their patients.

In 1884, Carl Eihorn introduced cocaine for use as an anesthetic. This was widely used until the addictive quality of cocaine became evident. The first successful cocaine substitute, called Stovaine, was invented by Ernest Fourneau in 1904. Stovaine was delivered by needle. But it was commonly known as “novocaine,” because this was the “new” cocaine. Novocaine became popular as a local anesthetic both in dentistry and medicine. Various kinds of improvements have been made in the effectiveness and duration of local anesthetics since that time, but the only means of achieving deep local anesthesia (numbness) for extensive dental treatment was still by injection.

Now a new discovery may replace the needle for many dental procedures. Scientists are reporting evidence that a common local anesthetic, when administered to the nose as nose drops or a nasal spray, travels through the main nerve in the face and collects in high concentrations in the teeth, jaw, and structures of the mouth.

This discovery could lead to a new generation of intra-nasal drugs for noninvasive treatment for dental pain, migraine, and other conditions, the scientists suggest in the current issue of the American Chemical Society’s bi-monthly journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.

William H. Frey II, Ph.D., and colleagues note that drugs administered to the nose travel along nerves and go directly to the brain. One of those nerves is the trigeminal (V) nerve, which brings feelings to the face, nose and mouth. Until now, however, scientists never checked to see whether intranasal drugs passing along that nerve might reach the teeth, gums and other areas of the face and mouth to reduce pain sensations in the face and mouth.

Neil Johnson, working in the labs of Frey and Leah R. Hanson, Ph.D., at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., found that Lidocaine or Xylocaine, sprayed into the noses of laboratory rats, quickly traveled down the trigeminal nerve and collected in their teeth, jaws, and mouths at levels 20 times higher than in the blood or brain. The approach could provide a more effective and targeted method for treating dental pain/anxiety, trigeminal neuralgia (severe facial pain), migraine, and other conditions, the scientists say.

Furthermore, these scientists discovered an improved future location to administer anesthetic, the maxillary sinus. The maxillary sinus is a golf ball-sized space located underneath each cheek where the drug can be sprayed. Delivery into this confined space may be the next generation approach beyond a nasal spray in providing a more rapid and focused delivery of anesthetic.

For dental phobics and those avoiding dental treatment because of high anxieties, there is no need to wait for intra-nasal anesthetics. Advances in devices and techniques used for injection have proven to be predictably successful in anesthetizing teeth without pain. Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC has been successfully using a special technique for alleviating pain and fear of dentistry in treating thousands upon thousands of patients since the 1970’s. It is called “iatrosedation”.

If you would like more information about anesthetic treatment options, call Dr. Chao in Alhambra, CA at (626) 308-9104

Dr. Chao proudly serves Alhambra and all surrounding areas.

Health Oral

Colorectal Cancer May be Started and Accelerated by Oral Bacteria

Two recent studies suggest that a type of gut bacteria found in the mouth may trigger colorectal cancer by influencing the immune response and switching on cancer genes.

The researchers believe their findings may lead to more timely and improved ways of diagnosing, preventing and treating colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of death from cancer among Americans. The culprit is called Fusobacteria, a type of bacteria in the mouth that is associated with periodontitis, more commonly called “gum disease.” This gum condition is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults.

These two studies were recently published in the Journal of Cell Host and Microbe. In the first study the researchers determined the oral bacteria, called Fusobacterium, were found in benign tumors that later turned cancerous. Furthermore in the mice model they found that Fusobacterium sped up tumor formation through the release of a type of immune cell called “myeloid cells.” The latter cells penetrate tumors and trigger inflammations that can lead to cancer. The researchers, Wendy S. Garrett, MD, PhD from the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center stated that, “Fusobacteria may provide not only a new way to group or describe colon cancers but also, more importantly, a new perspective on how to target pathways to halt tumor growth and spread.”

In the second study another group of researchers found that Fusobacterium uses a molecule that lives on the surface of the bacterial cells. This molecule allows the bacteria to stick to the human cells and facilitates the invasion of the normal human cell. The molecule called Fusobacterium adhesion A (FadA) switches on genes that spur cancer growth, triggers inflammation in the human cancer cells. The end result may be cancer. The researchers also found that the FadA is much lower in normal patients. This report also said that they identified a compound that can stop the effects of FadA on cancer cells. Even better news is that FadA, according to author Yiping Han of Western Reserve University of School of Medicine, FadA is a “marker that can be used for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Furthermore, FadA can be used to find “therapeutic targets to treat or prevent this common and debilitating disease.”

The conclusion to be drawn from these two studies, as far as dentistry is concerned, is the importance of dental hygiene and regular professional dental care. Keeping the mouth as clean as possible, following common sense instructions and seeing the dentist and the dental hygienist on a regular basis is the best way to prevent abnormal growth of “bad” bacteria,” including the latest villain Fusobacterium. Thus it can be said that you have a lessened risk of colorectal cancer as well as other cancers if you keep your oral health in the optimal condition.

Also remember increased inflammation in the mouth may increase the inflammation index for the whole body. Abnormal inflammation in the body is associated with many diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, heart ailments and diabetes, to name just a few.

As the eyes are windows to the soul, the mouth is the same to the body.