Which injection is used to anesthetize the mandibular anterior teeth and premolars on one side without deep anesthesia to surrounding tissues?

• A. Incisive block
• B. Inferior alveolar nerve block
• C. Gow-Gates block
• D. Mental nerve block

Answer: (A)

Focusing the anesthesia on the nerve supply to specific teeth rather than the whole hemimandible lets you numb only what you need. The incisive block does just that: it targets the incisive nerve as it runs in the incisive canal near the mental foramen, so the pulpal nerves of the mandibular anterior teeth and premolars on one side are blocked. This provides numbness to those teeth while limiting deeper anesthesia to surrounding soft tissues, unlike other blocks that spread broader.

If you used an inferior alveolar nerve block, you’d get deep, widespread anesthesia on that side, including molars and much more soft tissue. The Gow-Gates block covers a large portion of the mandible, also resulting in broader numbness. A mental nerve block alone affects the soft tissues of the lower lip and chin but does not reach the teeth themselves. So the incisive block best matches the goal of anesthetizing the mandibular anterior teeth and premolars on one side without deep anesthesia to the surrounding tissues.