Hi Jan,
Last week I went to the dentist for a crown and had the same reaction I had the time before that when I had a crown done.....I was weak and tired for days. I will check to see if the dentist used Lidocaine to numb my gum before injecting Novocaine. Could the Lidocaine have caused the weak reaction in me, or could it just have been the trauma to my teeth?
Mary

Type of Myotonia: Thomsens

Country: USA

Mary,

Novacaine is the trade name for Procaine which works by blocking sodium channels, but it can cause toxicity fairly easily and is seldom used in dentistry any more. Usually they use Lidocaine/Xylocaine or Citanest which is Prilocaine. The two I usually recommend are Marcaine and Carbocaine with no vasoconstrictors.

If you are low in omega 6 fatty acids you may have trouble metabolizing the anesthesia and it could have a toxic effect at a lower level than most people would experience. Also being low in cholinesterase enzymes (which we tend to be) can cause toxicity sooner, too.

However there are many other things you could be reacting to including the cement for the crown. They usually contain potassium nitrate which would definitely affect you for a while. You might want to call the office and have them read you the ingredients in the crown cement. If they had to drill any silver fillings in the process you could also be reacting some mercury that would be released.

Jan

Type of Myotonia: Thomsen's MC

Country: US