Worried you may be allergic to Novocaine? True local anesthetic allergies are rare, and reactions often have other causes. Contact us today to learn your options.
If you have ever had a frightening reaction in the dental chair, a racing heart, dizziness, shaking, or swelling after an injection, you may have walked away believing you are allergic to Novocaine. It is one of the most common concerns patients share with us, and it is often the reason someone has avoided the dentist for years. Here is the reassuring news: true allergies to modern dental anesthetics are extremely rare.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words and 5-star review! We're so glad to hear you had a positive experience with our team. We appreciate your support!
My autistic adult son has been a patient for several years and each year I find the staff to be professional and courteous. My son used to be afraid of going to the dentist but he is at ease each time he is seen. From the dentist to each staff member, everyone and everything is excellent! Thank you for servicing my special needs son!
I have been a patient at the Dental Anesthesia Center for about 20 years! Dr. Hoffman and his team are the premier dental group in the St. Louis area. I believe they are the only location for Dental Anesthesia if you need that service. They are experts in the dental field and I cannot fathom ever going anywhere else. Great team, kind, caring, patient, and looking out for you and your dental needs!
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words and continued trust over the years! We’re truly grateful for your support and are honored to have such a caring team dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality care.
I have been going here for 30 years and the extra care they take is outstanding.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words and longtime support! We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and are grateful for the trust placed in our team over the years.
It was thorough professional and informative. I was satisfied with consultation and look forward to having my dental needs addressed
Response from the owner:Thank you for your 5-star review! We appreciate your kind words and are grateful you took the time to share your feedback. Thank you for your support!
Everything went great today for her surgery but I do have some feedback about other things. My daughter was scheduled to be put to sleep to undergo a root canal. They ended up needing more anthesia which I was willing to pay for. Surgery was supposed to be an hour (I was told this before they started), and it ended up being 2 hours because of some minor complications. Noone came to the lobby to inform us. When it was over, I asked to see her. They said I had to pay first. I just paid almost 5k and they were more worried about an additional $300 before allowing me to see my daughter? This didn't sit right. I didn't say anything. I paid the bill and went to see my daughter. Dr. Hoffman is the nicest man I have ever met! He was outstanding.
Also, in the weeks before her surgery, the office appeared to not communicate. I would receive a call saying one thing then someone else would say another. They were never on the same page.
Last week, they needed to speak with me to confirm a few things. They called me at 8:16am then again at 1:06pm. Leaving me a voicemail that if they do not hear from me they were going to cancel her surgery. Wow! I work. I work 8am-5pm. I do not have access to my phone during those hours. They did leave a voicemail and I would have called the next day but they did not give me a chance before sending me an email threatening to cancel.
Also, they had called me several weeks before to inform me I had no insurance. I called my insurance company and they said I did. Not sure what happened but it resulted in unnecessary phone calls during my only free 20 minutes at work.
If your appointment is at 10am, do not plan on seeing anyone for awhile. All our appointments ran an hour behind.
I think Dr. Hoffman is wonderful but the office staff needs some help.
Not friendly at all. Noone even smiled!
The nurses in the room with my daughter were great too.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your feedback and kind words about Dr. Hoffmann and our clinical team. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Your feedback is valuable to us as we continually strive to provide the best possible care and experience for every family.
Response from the owner:Thank you for the 5-star Google review! We truly appreciate your support and are grateful you chose The Dental Anesthesia Center!
Everyone took time to address our daughter directly. They explained each step to her, even though she is nonverbal and most likely would not respond. No one acted afraid of her. This means a lot to us. Thank you for seeing her.
Response from the owner:Thank you for the 4-star review! We believe everyone deserves to feel seen, respected, and valued, and we’re grateful your experience reflected that. ❤️
I went to nervous and 3 to 4 hours later, I essentially woke up in the car on my way home without realizing anything had happened. If you have trauma with previous dental issues, this is the place. I have a had severe dental trauma my entire life. Until now, they are all fantastic.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience. We’re grateful our team could help provide a comfortable experience and appreciate your trust in us.
Our experience was wonderful. Our Down’s Syndrome son is very apprehensive about his appointments, but Dr. Thoms and all of his staff made our son more compliant. Each member seems vested in their job and are so kind and caring. Thank you for a positive experience.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad your family had a positive experience. Our team takes great pride in providing compassionate, individualized care, and your feedback means so much to us!
I had a dental problem that needed attention quickly. They got me in the next day and we identified the problem and came up with a great solution. I have been going there for over 10 years and they always come through.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your continued trust in our team over the years! We’re always happy to help and truly appreciate your kind words and recommendation!
Always a great experience. Carrie does a wonderful job keeping my smile healthy and bright. Dr. Thoms is always very nice and professional. They make going to the dentist much less stressful!
Response from the owner:Thank you for the great feedback! We're so glad Carrie and Dr. Thoms have made your visits comfortable and enjoyable.
I’ve had wonderful experiences at this dental office. The team is professional, the care is top-notch, and appointments run smoothly. I’ve never had to wait long in the waiting room. I highly recommend them!
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words and recommendation! We’re so glad to hear you’ve had such positive experiences with our team. We truly appreciate your support!
I love coming to the Dental CENTER , all the ladies are so nice and they keep you up to date. Dr. Belah is great and Carrie are so good. They do a great job.
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear you’ve had such a positive experience with our team. We’ll be sure to share your appreciation with Dr. Behl, Carrie, and the rest of the team!
Dr. Hoffman is a friendly individual and readily answers can't questions you may have. His office staff are all friendly. One in particular,Meaghan, has learned to put up with the grumpy old guy from Illinois. I would recommend you give these people a try for your special needs relative.
Response from the owner:Thank you for the kind words and recommendation! We’re so glad to hear you’ve felt welcomed and well cared for by Dr. Hoffman and our team. And we’ll be sure to let Meaghan know she’s doing a great job putting up with our “grumpy old guy from Illinois!”
The Best Dental Office In St Louis! Thanks for keeping my pearly whites shining! … back again and they always do a great job and make me feel comfortable! They have an exceptional staff who are friendly and also very good at their jobs!!
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you always feel comfortable and well cared for. Our team truly appreciates your kind words!
The practice is top notch. Could not ask for better care. Wish dental care was more affordable.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re grateful for your feedback and are proud to provide high-quality care in a supportive environment.
The best staff for dealing with my level 3 non verbal autistic son. Very understanding and supportive.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad our team could provide a supportive and understanding experience. Your feedback means so much to us!
Dr Thoms is the best. He and his team are very attentive and extremely dedicated to the dental care for our special needs son
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words! We truly appreciate your recognition of Dr. Thoms and our team. Providing compassionate, attentive care is at the heart of what we do!
First, a Surprising Fact: You Probably Never Had Novocaine
“Novocaine” has become a catch-all word for dental numbing medicine, but the actual drug, procaine, has not been widely used in dentistry for decades. Procaine belongs to an older family of anesthetics called esters, which were more likely to trigger allergic responses. That is one of the reasons dentistry moved away from them.
Today, dentists use amide anesthetics such as lidocaine, articaine, and mepivacaine. Documented allergic reactions to amide anesthetics are exceptionally rare in the medical literature. So if your reaction happened in recent decades, an allergy to the anesthetic itself is one of the least likely explanations.
What Your Reaction May Actually Have Been
When patients describe a “Novocaine allergy,” the story usually involves one or more of the following. Each is real and unpleasant, but none of them is a true allergy to the anesthetic.
A reaction to epinephrine. Most dental anesthetics include a small amount of epinephrine, which helps the numbness last longer. In some patients, especially when the injection reaches a blood vessel, epinephrine can cause a pounding heart, trembling, and a sense of panic. It typically passes within minutes, but it can feel alarming enough that patients understandably assume something went very wrong.
An anxiety response.Dental fear is common, and the body’s stress response can produce sweating, lightheadedness, nausea, a racing heart, and even fainting. These symptoms can look and feel very much like an allergic reaction, which is why the two are so often confused.
A sensitivity to a preservative. Some anesthetic solutions contain sulfite preservatives that stabilize the epinephrine. Patients with sulfite sensitivities, which are more common among people with asthma, may react to that ingredient rather than the anesthetic itself.
A true allergy. Genuine allergic reactions, with symptoms such as hives, itching, swelling of the lips or throat, or difficulty breathing, do occur, but they are rare. When they happen, they may be linked to an older ester anesthetic, a preservative, or in very uncommon cases the amide anesthetic itself.
Why Getting the Right Answer Matters
Labeling yourself allergic to “all numbing medicine” can have real consequences. Patients with that label sometimes delay or avoid dental treatment entirely, or they endure procedures with inadequate pain control. Neither is necessary.
If you have had a concerning reaction, allergy testing through an allergist can often identify what actually happened. Testing may confirm a specific ingredient to avoid, or it may show that you can safely receive common anesthetics after all. Bring any testing results to your dental visit; they help your care team plan around your specific needs rather than a guess.
Your Options at The Dental Anesthesia Center
Our practice is built for patients whose past experiences make routine dental visits difficult, including those with confirmed or suspected anesthetic reactions.
Depending on your history and health, your options may include:
A different local anesthetic. If a specific drug or preservative was identified, an alternative formulation, such as one without epinephrine or sulfites, may be appropriate.
Sedation dentistry. For patients whose reactions were anxiety-related, sedation can calm the body’s stress response so that treatment feels manageable rather than frightening.
General anesthesia. For patients with complex medical histories, confirmed allergies, or severe dental fear, treatment can be completed while you are fully asleep in a carefully monitored setting. Many patients complete years of needed dental work in a single visit this way.
At your consultation, our doctors review your medical history, your past reactions, and any allergy testing you have had, then recommend an approach suited to you. As a doctor-owned practice, those decisions are made by the people actually providing your care.
You Deserve Comfortable Dental Care
A bad experience with dental anesthesia does not have to define the rest of your dental life. Whether your reaction was a true allergy or something else entirely, there is a path to getting the care you need, safely and comfortably.
Contact The Dental Anesthesia Center Today
If a past reaction to dental anesthetic has kept you or a loved one away from the dentist, we would be happy to talk through your options. Call The Dental Anesthesia Center in St. Louis at (314) 862-7844 or request a consultation online. Our team will listen to your history, answer your questions, and help you find an approach that feels right for you.
