SA040 - Local and Regional Dental Nerve Blocks...What's Added Makes A Tremendous Difference

Our veterinary patients frequently present with conditions associated with chronic sources of oral pain. Whether it be broken teeth or severe periodontal disease, the chronicity of these conditions predisposes the development of lower pain thresholds which not only complicates our abilities to maintain the patient under general anesthesia but also complicates the transition to oral medications postoperatively. During this session, we will review techniques for extending the duration of activity for local anesthetics, identify landmarks for accurate local block placement and discuss clinical situations where regional anesthesia may not be desirable.