Working closely with a compounding pharmacist, a dental practitioner can prescribe medications for procedural anxiety, pain relief, crown preparations, dry socket treatments, fluoride treatments, gum disease, plaque removal, ulcers, canker sores and even tooth whitening.
As with many medical treatments, the therapeutic options available to dentists can be limited. Some patients just don’t always respond to standard medications. Compounding enhances the acceptability and application of medications through its ability to customize dosage forms. Some nauseated patients who cannot swallow a pill may receive medicine transdermally through a gel rubbed into the skin. Patients who suffer from needle anxiety may receive a topical anesthetic to allow for painless dental injection. Other commercially unavailable dosage forms include liquids, pastes, lozenges or even lollipops.
One obvious challenge with dental related medication is the involvement of the taste buds-some dental rinses, solutions and gels can be less than tasteful. A compounding pharmacist can help the medicine taste better without changing its vital properties and performance. For instance, a bitter analgesic can be enhanced with chocolate flavor to make it taste better. A tooth-bleaching solution would allow easier use if it tasted like peppermint cream. And children will be glad to take a topical oral anesthetic if it’s delivered through a cherry-flavored lollipop.
Basic Uses
Analgesics
Antibiotics
Topical Anesthetics
Sedatives
Adhesives
Bleaching Gels
Dry Socket Mixtures
Plaque Removal Solutions
Oral Rinses
Antivirals
Root Canal Paste
Plaque Disclosure Solutions
Crown Preps
Dosage Forms
Troches/sublinguals
Capsules
Lollipops
Gels, Oral, Topical
Mucosal Bandages (polyoxyl)
Mouthwashes and Rinses
Dental Ointments and Pastes
Chapstick/Lipstick, Lip Balms
Oral and Topical Sprays
Powder Puffer
Popsicles
Table Triturates