What is a major difference between an infiltration and a nerve block?

• A. Infiltration anesthetizes tissues near the teeth; nerve block anesthetizes a nerve trunk, affecting multiple teeth
• B. Infiltration Uses Vasoconstrictor
• C. Nerve Block Anesthetizes Only One Tooth
• D. Infiltration Provides Longer Duration

Answer: (A)

The main distinction is the scope of anesthesia. Infiltration delivers anesthesia from the injection site into the surrounding tissues, numbing the area right around the tooth and typically affecting one tooth or a small nearby area. Nerve block anesthetizes a larger nerve trunk as it enters the jaw, interrupting sensation to a broader region and often affecting multiple teeth supplied by that nerve. That broader, multi-tooth effect is why a nerve block can numb several teeth in a quadrant, whereas an infiltration tends to stay localized to the tooth being treated. Vasoconstrictor use is not unique to one method, and a nerve block does not inherently anesthetize only a single tooth.