Discussions tagged “medicalquestions”

I recently had a root canal, and my dentist used Sensorcaine/epi 0.25% Inj, 50ml instead of the usual anesthetic. I'm curious why this specific medication was chosen and what the benefits are compared to other local anesthetics. The doctor mentioned something about it being a local anesthetic with bupivacaine and epinephrine, but I'm not sure what that means. Can anyone explain the difference and why it might be used for dental work? I've always just gotten a numbing shot, so I'm not sure why this was different. Does it have anything to do with the epinephrine? Better pain relief or something else? I'm also worried about side effects. I read about some scary ones, but the doctor didn't really go into detail. Should I be concerned or is this just standard procedure?