The broken needle: report of case.

After any patient who is to receive a local anesthetic has given informed consent about the possibility of broken instruments, the practitioner should carefully prepare the patient and instrumentation for a successful anesthetic. If a needle does break and cannot be immediately removed, the practitioner should not try to retrieve it. The patient should be referred to a knowledgeable specialist familiar with the detailed anatomy of the head and neck and the surgical removal of foreign bodies from the same.