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Methods of pain control
Removing the cause: By removing the etiologic factor environmental changes would be eliminated, consequently free nerve ending would not be excited and no impulses would be initiated. It is imperative that any removal leaves no permanent environmental changes in tissue, since this condition would be able to create the impulses even though the causative factor had been removed. This method clearly affects pain perceptions.
Blocking the pathways of painful impulses: This is the most widely used method during minor oral surgeries in dentistry. By this method a suitable, possessing local analgesic properties is injected in to tissue in proximity to the nerves involved. The local anesthetic solution prevents depolarization of nerve fibers at the area of absorption thus preventing fibers from conducting any impulses centrally beyond that point. As long as solution is present in the nerve in sufficient concentrate to prevent depolarization, the block will be in effect.
Pharmacotherapy of pain: This is a corner stone in the treatment of pain. Analgesic is the most frequently used in the treatment of pain. Several others classes of pharmaceutical agents are used for palliative and cause related therapy. Some drugs bind to known receptor, which are cellular components with which natural body chemicals (ligands) interact to produce physiologic responses. Some drugs (agonists) mimic rather closely the action of natural substance. Other prevents these actions, antagonists or blocking agents.
E.g., morphine (agonist) bind to certain receptor (mu and kappa) that normally interact with natural endorphins (ligands) this interaction is prevented by naloxone (blocking agents).