I just got back from the dentist. I had some weakening/erosion along my bottom teeth, probably due to the adverse side effects of prednisone and the acid reflux at night bathing my teeth. They filled it with the amalgam filling. The neuro said it was alright to use lidocaine. When I came home and looked in the mirror, I have a normal smile. My smile has not looked this good in years. I almost forgot what my real smile looked like. I though lidocaine might make my face more droopy, instead I have a real smile. Weird!!! I wonder how long it will last.

kathie

That is interesting. I hope it lasts a while.

Some of those dental anesthetics are mixtures with adrenaline to make them fast acting. I'm not sure why but lidocaine is on the 'be careful' drug interaction list for MG patients. I gave my dentist this brochure a while ago so he would have good info about MG. The dentist even called my neuro prior to some work I had to have done. A little thing like than made me feel very good about my dentist.

http://www.myasthenia.org/LinkClick....s8%3d&tabid=84

I knew lidocaine was on the no-no list. I was surprised and annoyed that the neuro said OK. It must have been the adrenaline that made my smile work. But it is gone now along with the numbness. It was good to have a glimpse of what I used to look like and know that it was still possible to look like that again

kathie

Hello Kathie, I meant to comment on this earlier. In the late 90s, a woman from southern British Columbia reported that she was experiencing a dental problem, and though she was having difficulty with chewing and speech, she had to go.

When the dentist completed his work, this lady was very excited when she found that she could speak normally, and that her face felt better than ever. Her dentist was suspicious of epinephrine but said that he would investigate.
That was the last I'd heard of this situation. It is interesting. If I understand correctly, epinephrine is a hormone. Someone with a background in chemistry might be able to explain this.

I asked my neurologist about the use of lidocaine or novacaine for dental work or stitches. Her response was that at the doses needed for a local anesthetic it would not be an issue at all except for some localized affects which are to be expected. When it becomes a problem is when it is used more systemically in IV form such as when someone is having a heart attack; in that case the dose is about 40 times higher and does become a problem for those with MG.

Joe