Septocaine® Injury Lawyer – Dental Negligence
One of the most common local anesthetics used during dental procedures is Septocaine. It is a combination of articaine and epinephrine that can block nerve pain. The goal is to create numbness for the patient while their dental work is performed. If the injection of Septocaine® is performed incorrectly, that numbness or tingling feeling may not completely go away. When a dentist is careless and impacts a nerve during local anesthetic injections, it can cause a Septocaine® injury and may be a case of dental negligence.
Most people want as little pain or discomfort as possible during their dental procedures. Local anesthetics are much safer than sedation and only numb the area where the dental work is performed. Medications like Septocaine rarely have lasting side effects, but performing the injection can cause injury if done incorrectly. Large nerves in the mouth must be avoided or paresthesia or nerve damage can occur, causing pain, numbness and other prolonged side effects.
Paresthesia Caused by Septocaine® Injections
One of the most common nerves to be impacted from poor Septocaine® or articaine injection placement is the lingual nerve. This nerve is located near the surface of the lower mouth and near where anesthetic injections are placed. If contacted by the needle or the injection causes a hematoma near the nerve, there may be damage. This can lead to paresthesia, a prolonged “pins and needles” feeling, numbness or tingling in the tongue or mouth region. While paresthesia from injections can go away on its own over several weeks, some patients have ongoing nerve damage that can be painful or impact speech and oral function.
If you believe you have sustained nerve damage or other injuries from a Septocaine or articaine injection used during a dental procedure, contact us at Moriarty Injury Lawyer for a free consultation. You may qualify to seek compensation for your dental negligence injury.