Periodontal ligament and intraosseous anesthetic injection techniques: alternatives to mandibular nerve blocks.

BACKGROUND

and Overview. The provision of mandibular anesthesia traditionally has relied on nerve block anesthetic techniques such as the Halsted, the Gow-Gates and the Akinosi-Vazirani methods. The authors present two alternative techniques to provide local anesthesia in mandibular teeth: the periodontal ligament (PDL) injection and the intraosseous (IO) injection. The authors also present indications for and complications associated with these techniques.

CONCLUSIONS

The PDL injection and the IO injection are effective anesthetic techniques for managing nerve block failures and for providing localized anesthesia in the mandible.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Dentists may find these techniques to be useful alternatives to nerve block anesthesia.