If you encountered a patient that had an allergy to lidocaine or other local anesthesia, what alternative methods of sedation would you suggest?

Come to your dental school interview prepared to talk about the various forms of local anesthesia, sedation dentistry, nitrous oxide, oral sedation, and IV sedation by doing your research ahead of time. Then, as you answer, talk about how you would effectively determine the right form of anesthesia or sedation for this particular patient based on the procedure that they were about to undergo under your care.

"The alternative method is going to depend on what type of dental procedure the patient needed. If it was a minor procedure, I would talk to the patient about the benefits of sedation in the form of nitrous oxide, oral sedation, or IV sedation. I'm familiar with Halcion being used in minor procedures as opposed to lidocaine. In the end, doing what is best for the patient's health and comfort would be a top priority for me."