What is Novocaine?
Before we see how long Novocaine lasts in the body, let’s first take a look at what Novocaine is.
This is a brand of procaine, as well as a local anesthetic drug. A local anesthetic is a drug used to numb certain parts of the body. Unlike general anesthesia, which can eliminate consciousness. Local anesthesia does not diminish your consciousness. That’s a glimpse of the understanding from Novocaine, hopefully it can be understood in broad terms.
Local anesthetics can be used for small things like the following:
- For dental cavity fillings
- For wisdom tooth extraction
- Minor skin procedures such as removing moles
- Certain eye surgeries such as cataract removal
- Biopsy, which removes a sample of skin tissue for use under microscopy.
Novocaine is a local anesthetic drug which was developed in 1905 in the United States. Before Novocaine, health professionals used cocaine as a flavor reliever. However, many types of local anesthetics were developed, including Novocaine.
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How it works
The way Novocaine works is by blocking nerves so that it can’t send pain signals to the brain. A doctor used to use it as a medicine for temporary pain relief such as when tooth extraction or removal of tofu flies. By using this local anesthetic, you can perform minor operations quickly without pain.
How long does Novocaine last?
Usually, the effects of using Novocaine do not last long in the body. It is also called the shortest acting anesthetic drug, it only has a temporary effect. When Novocaine is injected, after 5 or 10 minutes you will feel numb. Usually, this numbness will last for 30 to 60 minutes. So, this duration is sufficient for a sore tooth removal procedure or other minor surgery.
This short duration causes Novocaine serign to be used in conjunction with epinephrine (adrenaline), so the effect can last longer. When given together with epinephrine, the numbing effect can last for 90 minutes.
How long does Novocaine lasts, this is a factor that influences it
How long Novocaine lasts depends on the dosage given by your doctor. If doctors want to complete a larger procedure, of course they will have to numb more nerves. This makes them have to give a larger dose. The more doses, the longer Novocaine will last. If you just want to get rid of moles, of course, you don’t need the long effect of novocaine. In addition, the effect of numbness also varies from person to person.
When Novocaine enters the body, it will be metabolized by the pseudocholinesterase enzyme. As mentioned by healthline.com, about 1 person out of every 5000 people has a disorder, where the enzyme cannot metabolize Novocaine and similar drugs. This in medical terms is called a pseudeocholinesterase deficiency. Those who experience this will get the effect of Novocaine that is longer than most normal people. That’s what we say that the effects of Novocaine can also be different between individuals.
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Risks and side effects of Novocaine
Novocaine is very safe to use, and an overdose is possible, but your doctor will predict exactly that this will not happen. One way to avoid an overdose is to use Novocaine together with epinephrine, because less epinephrine is needed for its numbing effect.
Novocaine is given by injection into the body. At the beginning of the injection you feel a needle prick pain but then you experience numbness in the area. After the drug wears off, you may feel a tingling sensation at the injection site.
The side effects, if any, are very mild and will go away quickly. Among the possible side effects of Novocaine are:
- Let’s taste and tingle
- Headache
- Dizzy
- Drowsiness
- Muscle twitching
- Mild pain at the injection site
There are also side effects of Novocaine in the form of allergies, but these side effects are very rare. Among the symptoms of allergy side effects are:
- Itchy
- Hives
- Difficulty breathing
- Swelling of the face and hands, and
- Loss of consciousness
The Takeaway
It should be noted that Novocaine is usually used by doctors or dentists for procedures that are less than 90 minutes long because its effects only last for about 90 minutes when used together with epinephrine.
Also see: How to Treat Toothache, Home Remedies
however, the current use of Novocaine is no longer used as often as other local anesthetics. Sometimes your dentist or doctor uses other drugs such as lidocaine (Xylocaine). it tends to last longer than Novocaine. It can last about 1.5 hours to 2 hours.
This medicine is only used by a doctor or dentist, you should not use it directly without a doctor’s direction. If you want to use it, you must consult a doctor.
