Inferior Alveolar Nerve Anaesthesia

Inferior alveolar nerve anaesthesia, also called the inferior alveolar nerve block, is a nerve block technique that produces numbness in the areas of the mouth and face served by one of the paired inferior alveolar nerves of the lower jaw. Anesthetic is deposited near the mandibular foramen on the inner surface of the jaw so that it blocks the inferior alveolar nerve and, by diffusion, the nearby lingual nerve, numbing the lower teeth, lower lip, chin and part of the tongue and surrounding tissue on the injected side. It is used chiefly in dentistry to allow painless treatment of the lower teeth and the structures around them.