Drug treats dental numbness, not wasteful health spending
No, it’s not a cure for cancer. But a California drug company has won federal approval to market a medicine that treats another major medical problem affecting millions of Americans: Oral anesthetic hangover.
That’s the drooling, slurred speech and inability to sip from a coffee cup that lingers like an unwelcome guest after a dentist uses Novocaine, lidocaine or some other local anesthetic in your mouth.
The drug, OraVerse, cuts by more than half the amount of time it takes for full sensation to return to the lips. That means you’ll be able to whistle, sip and take off the drool bib about 75 minutes sooner.
In the U.S., where millions of people have no access to dental care and bad or missing teeth have become a kind of caste mark of the poor, it might seem wasteful to devote resources to curing common lip numbness. But value is in the eye, or lip, of the beholder.
The drug will be available to dentists later this year for about $12.50 an injection. Even those fortunate enough to have dental insurance will likely be reaching into their own pockets to pay for it. Drooling may be unsightly and embarrassing, but from your insurance company’s perspective, it’s free.
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John G. Carlton is an editorial writer who covers health care, science, the environment and public utilities. Before joining the editorial page, "Doc" was the newspaper's medical writer for four years. He has also worked at newspapers in Connecticut and New York. He's fond of heavy sarcasm and light anti-tank weapons. He lives in west St. Louis County with his wife, Martha Madigan, their daughter Ana and an overly enthusiastic Australian Shepherd dog, Savannah. 
75 minutes @ $12.50. That makes the going rate for drooling and blubbering about ten bucks an hour. Better than minimum wage.