Pain management and regional anesthesia for the dental patient.

Current standards of care in veterinary medicine dictate an adequate level of pain control for our patients. Effective pain control uses a proactive, multimode approach that starts with preoperative medications, includes the anesthetic protocol selected, and continues into the postoperative period. A basic understanding of the physiology of pain assists in selecting those agents and modalities best suited for individual patients. Analgesic drug selection and local anesthesia are both integral parts of pain control when performing surgery in the oral cavity. Local (regional) anesthesia plays an important part in the pain control of oral surgical patients. Regional anesthetic techniques are used for many common oral procedures, including extractions, periodontal flap surgery, treatment of traumatic injuries of the oral cavity, tumor removal, palatal surgery, periodontal therapy, and root canal therapy. This presentation will cover strategies for analgesia and the techniques and materials used in local/regional anesthesia in the oral cavity. Anatomic landmarks and guidelines for effective regional blocks will be covered.