No More Novocaine? Light Could Soon Help Numb Your Pain
- Posted on February 28, 2012 at 2:14pm by
Liz Klimas
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First they give you a swab of Orajel — if you’re lucky. Then, in comes a heavy duty-looking needle to shoot novocaine into your gums. You’re left with a tingly, droopy and puffy sensation. But it‘s all worth the initial pain and temporarily awkward face and drinking style afterward to avoid feeling the dentist’s drill, right?
Researchers are currently working on a method that might help you avoid local anesthetics like novocaine all together — while still giving you relief from drilling or other ailments. Gizmodo reports that optogenetics is a growing field of research that studies how light at varying wavelengths can affect an organisms’ cells:
In new research published in Nature Methods, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Munich and the University of Bordeaux developed a molecule they call QAQ that acts like lidocaine, a commonly used anesthetic. Once inserted into nerves responsible for perceiving pain, the new molecule can block the ion channels responsible for pain when exposed to a specific wavelength of light.
Ars Technica reports that using such technology as compared to local anesthetics could reduce some of the side effects of many that are currently used, such as euphoria, addictive nature and only short-lived pain relief. It could also target cells more specifically instead of, for example, numbing the whole lower side of one’s jaw.
(Image via Ars Technica)
So far, according to Gizmodo, the researchers have inserted the QAQ molecule manually into rat cells. If it is to have application for humans in the future, they may have to think of a more efficient way to insert the molecule into specific cells.
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BrandonRomaska
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 10:58pmThere is already a painless single tooth anesthetic delivery system made by Milestone Scientific. I know because I use it whenever I go to the dentist and it does exactly what this “light technology” is supposed to do.
Report Post »Grasshopper42
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 6:00amLooks like Glenn moonlights as a dentist!
Report Post »Jinglebob
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 5:05pmI especiall like the shot through the roof of your mouth that you get for a root canal.
Report Post »Listen_then_think
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:38pmDentist is not a lefty, the drill is in his right hand and he is sitting on the right hand side. Some leftys sit on the right but most sit on the left side. Novocaine has not been used in 40+ years.
Report Post »If they figure out a different way to get the molecule to the site, other than a needle, that would be helpful. But they still have to put it into the nerve with a needle… “QAQ that acts like lidocaine, a commonly used anesthetic. Once inserted into nerves responsible for perceiving pain, the new molecule can block the ion channels responsible for pain when exposed to a specific wavelength of light.”
So bottom line is they made something that acts like lidocaine, that is inserted just like lidocaine but doesn’t work as well and has an extra requirement of trying to get light to it? PSSST… you can‘t get light into the bone so it wouldn’t work for extraction, any surgery deeper than soft tissue or root canal treatment or anything having to do with pulp manipulation.
Possible long term future application in some way but just like wind and solar energy, we still have to use oil (xylocaine) for now.
HorseCrazy
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 9:38pmagree. there are reasons why things have been used for so many years…because they work and have minimal problems.
Report Post »Blight14
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 6:39am@Listen_then_think: True, ester locals out, amides in! Also note the delivery system looks ancient….In our office we use Kavo electric high speeds and its amazing how many preps we can do sans local….even two surface on kids if done slowly…..love it!
Report Post »sknight
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 8:18amMy dentist uses Novocaine, or at least he does on me. lidocaine does some nasty stuff to me.
Report Post »rdietz7
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:37pmRoot canal anyone? You believe this? You first ;) garbage
Report Post »Temporal
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 4:36pmInteresting development, but ask anyone who’s allergic to local anesthetics and tell you alternatives have been around for a very long time, in some instances centuries.
Examples include salt water, biofeedback, and acupuncture. Fox’s Dr. Rosenfeld says he became a convert after seeing a Chinese lady getting open heart surgery with no anesthetic other than a needle through the lobe of her ear.
Wow!
Report Post »pap pap
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 4:28pmI didn’t know that Glenn was also a dentist.
Report Post »hillbillyinny
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:24pmArm is too skinny to be Glenn, and hair combed to wrong side, but the dentist is a lefty!
Report Post »justin.blake
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 11:37amNope, he is a righty – handpiece (drill for all you non-dentists out there) is in his right hand, mirror is in his left. Either way, the photo is staged, there is a mixing well, and a tofflemeir retainer on the table, with some kind of tiny set of cotton forceps that looks more like tweezers. No bond, no filling material, no other instruments. Listen_then_think is right. Acts like lido, but still has to be put into the nerve just like lido, and needs extra stuff (light) to make it work. Sorry, nice try but this is not a ‘proof of concept’ if the concept is worse than what it is trying to replace.
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