Science: Health: Drug: Delivery: Oral
Numb Gum   (-1)  [vote for, against]
A chewing gum delivers a powerful oral numbing drug.

We already know about chewing gums that deliver nicotine and aspirin to relieve our ills. So I propose a new gum called Numb Gum, used to relieve various maladies of the mouth. This gum would ease the pain caused by gingivitis (painfull swollen and inflamed bleeding gums), toothaches, canker sores, smokers' sore throats, burns to the tongue and roof of the mouth caused by hot drinks and foods.

Numbing agents like Lidocaine or Novocaine would be combined with a chewing gum. The chewing of the gum would release the numbing medicine. Once activated the gum could rest with-in the mouth at the site of the most discomfort or chewed for an over-all, oral numbing effect.

The gum can be removed once the desired relief was achieved and saved for a bit and re-chewed if needed. Also works on bitten tongues caused by chewing this and other gums.
-- Cosmo, Sep 14 2003

Analgesic Chewing Gum http://www.bris.ac....siness/bio/gum.html
[Cedar Park, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Anesthetics (Dental) http://www.nlm.nih....o/uspdi/202038.html
“Do not chew gum or food while your mouth or throat feels numb after you use this medicine. To do so may cause an injury. You may accidentally bite your tongue or the inside of your cheeks.” [Shz, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

I guess you know it's working when it falls out of your mouth. Or when you notice blood all over your shirt because you've actually been chewing your tongue for the last five minutes.

Gets my vote.
-- snarfyguy, Sep 14 2003


Baked. <link>
-- Cedar Park, Sep 14 2003


I thought this was going to be a new method for coca leaf chewing. Oh well ;)

From the first link: //Methadone has been formulated into chewing gum//

'fraid. – It will end up on the streets.
-- Shz, Sep 14 2003


I think the fact that you could chew it a bit, and then take it out of your mouth and apply it elsewhere ("anywhere!") makes this a great idea.

There could also be interesting side effects if you accidentally swallowed it.
-- ywong, Sep 14 2003


There should be a big bowl of these in every dentists waiting room.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 14 2003


Where else would you put it, ywong?

The active ingedients might not be strong enough to work transdermaly.

Has anyone ever placed nicotine gum (in/on) someplace else??!!
-- Cosmo, Sep 14 2003


Analgesic pain relief (aspirin, etc.) does not involve numbing, that I know of. I thought analgesics worked by opening your blood vessels up, or maybe that's just a side effect?

Any pharmacologists here (other than recreational ones)?
-- snarfyguy, Sep 14 2003


Some people call me 'Doctor Feelgood' (others just call me Maurice)............another thought: Medical Marijuanna Gum. (hubba-bubba!)
-- Cosmo, Sep 15 2003


Warning, hehe! <link>
-- Shz, Sep 15 2003



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