Indications
- Trauma or need to perform painful procedure on area innervated by mental nerve
Contraindications
- Infection overlying injection site
- Allergy to local anesthetic
- Distortion of anatomical landmarks
Equipment
- 2-5cc of local anesthetic of choice
- Syringe
- Cleansing solution
- 1.5 inch small gauge needle (25 or greater)
Preparation
- Place patient in semi-recumbent position
- Draw up 2-5cc of anesthetic into syringe
- Locate the mental foramen by retracting the cheek laterally and palpating between the 2 lower premolar teeth
- Insert the needle along the lower gum into the buccal fold between the premolar teeth without placing the needle directly into the foramen
- Aspirate; if no blood, inject a few cc’s of anesthetic slowly (avoid injecting directly into the foramen as to prevent damage to the neurovascular bundle)
- For lacerations over the midline, block the mental nerve on each side of the face to anesthetize crossover fibers
- Block may also be performed extraorally by palpating and approaching the mandible slightly laterally to make contact just outside the mental foramen
Source