Sensodyne toothpaste has potassium nitrate and the potassium eventually "depolarizes" the neurons in the tooth nerve after about two weeks.[link]
I think it is possible that a potassium ion anti itch cream or other medicine (variations on hydrocortisone) Could build up numbness over a couple weeks as well.
In another area, people used to take bromides (Br ion) to replace the Cl ions at neurons to cause anti-anxiety effects. Perhaps both bromides and potassium could be combined at topical anti itch healing ointments. So KBr is the new ingredient for anti itch/acne/cortisone-like creams.-- beanangel, Jan 04 2018 Kno3 toothpaste "depolarizes the nerve" http://sensodyne.co...ng-sensitivity.aspx [beanangel, Jan 04 2018] Interesting.
One possible issue is that ion turnover in most tissues is very much faster than in places like dental nerve roots.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 04 2018 As far as I can tell, K+ and NO3- both sensitize, that's not as counter-intuitive as it might seem. Neurons signal with action potentials, which is a fancy way of moving from a polarized membrane to a depolarized membrane. They don't KEEP signalling if they stay depolarized, it's the transition that counts. So if your treatment dramatically favors the polarized OR depolarized position you inhibit signalling. So as far as I can tell, swapping NO3- for Br- is moving away from a synergistic mechanism. Now, whether it's a good idea to promote permanently depolarized neurons... that sounds like a recipe for dead neurons, or at least retreating processes. A better strategy might be to promote the polarized state, so bioenergetic support, decreasing Ca2+/K+ a more reducing redox state.
All the toothpastes/mouthwashes etc seem to do the opposite, Big Ca2+, low Mg2+, Fl- (glycolysis inhibitor) bicarbonate and even H2O2. Further reading suggests that the nerve have cold receptors... so obviously we put the cold-receptor agonist menthol in there..
hmm, maybe remove the menthol, add Mg2+, maybe cinnamon derivatives as TRPV inhibitors, maybe even some pharmacological Ca2+-channel blockers. A super reducing environment is just as brutal to bacteria as an oxidizing one, shame I can't think of a safe reducing agent that doesn't smell nasty.-- bs0u0155, Jan 04 2018 Hydrogen ? Cheap, ubiquitous, colourless, odourless ... the Phillip Schofield of reactive gases ...-- 8th of 7, Jan 05 2018 //Hydrogen ? Cheap, ubiquitous, colourless, odourless//
while difficult to dissolve in a toothpaste or mouthwash, you could fill your mouth with it and then simply walk around all day with your mouth pointing directly downward. No, I think 2-mercaptoethanol is the one for this gig. Cheap, effective, and regular bad breath will suddenly become a footnote on the smell landscape.-- bs0u0155, Jan 05 2018 //2-mercaptoethanol// Ah, the old Chanel Number 13.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 05 2018 I'm thinking a cream or ointment for the skin. Perhaps liposomes could deliver more ions and minimize ion concentration at the surface-- beanangel, Jan 05 2018 random, halfbakery