A nasal spray can help patients avoid pain at the dentist,  according to Knowridge Science Report. 

According to the report, Mark Kollar, co-founder of  St. Renatus, the company that developed Kovanaze, or K305, experienced a basketball injury that garnered him 21 stitches.

The rest is history, according to the report:

“A fellow player happened to be an ear nose and throat specialist, who placed the sutures and also diagnosed Kollar with a deviated nasal septum.

The ENT performed the septum repair and, when Kollar returned to his office for a follow-up visit, gave him a nasal spray containing tetracaine to remove a nasal stent.

Once the stent was removed, Kollar noticed his teeth were numb. The ENT said a few other patients had reported the same sensation.

Kollar, who happened to be a practicing dentist, went to his office to test his teeth with a dental electronic pulp stimulator and found that they were indeed numb.”

Kovanaze received FDA approval on June 29.

Learn more about its Phase 3 clinical trial and hear from the study’s lead author, Elliot V. Hersh, a professor in the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery/pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine: https://knowridge.com/2017/02/new-pain-relief-for-dental-work-goes-up-your-nose/