OraVerse – reversing the effects of local anesthetic

Hours of after-visit numbness may now be history!

It’s here!  For years, Dr. Brodil and I have talked about how great it would be if, after completing a procedure, we could make the numbness disappear.  Well, we are now using a product that can indeed reverse the effects of a local anesthetic!

OraVerse^TM is now available at our office.  This is an agent that accelerates the return to normal sensation and function for patients who want to avoid the unwanted and unnecessary lingering soft tissue anesthesia (numbness) after routine dental procedures.  The anesthetic we typically use contains vasoconstrictors (epinephrine).  This part of the anesthetic produces prolonged loss of oral sensation and function. On average, it takes 3-5 hours to recover from soft tissue anesthesia, thus the hours of post-procedure numbness.  With the administration of OraVerse^TM, patients can return to normal sensation and function in about half that time.

There are no contraindications for OraVerse^TM. In nationwide comprehensive clinical trials OraVerse^TM was tested in patients able to receive routine dental restorative and periodontal maintenance procedures involving a local anesthetic with vasoconstrictor.  Tests, however, were not conducted with pregnant patients, so Dr. Brodil and I will refrain from using OraVerse^TM with pregnant women.  OraVerse^TM is not indicated for use in individuals less than 6 years of age or weighing less than 33 pounds.

We administer the OraVerse^TM in the same manner, at the same site as the original anesthetic.  The bonus is that the area is already numb, so no injection is felt.

Unfortunately, the cost of OraVerse^TM, as with many new medications when they come on the market, is still quite expensive; for this reason, we charge a modest fee for the use of OraVerse^TM for the time being. 

For many, I can imagine this product will make dental procedures, and the lingering effects, much more tolerable.  We often hear that it’s as much the numbness after the procedure as the procedure itself that is the most uncomfortable.  With OraVerse^TM, we hope to minimize or eliminate one of those aspects of a dental visit. 

Please ask any member of our team for more information about this wonderful advancement in dental pharmacology.