A patient with a small, pedunculated mass on the retromolar pad chooses to have it biopsied. Which nerve(s) should be anesthetized prior to the surgical procedure?

The retromolar pad area requires anesthesia of both the inferior alveolar nerve (or at minimum adequate posterior mandibular coverage) AND the long buccal nerve (which innervates the buccal mucosa/gingiva of the posterior mandibular region, including the retromolar area). The mental nerve, by contrast, innervates the anterior chin and lower lip region — an anatomically distinct area that does NOT cover the retromolar pad, making 'IAN + mental nerve' an incorrect (though intuitive-seeming) answer for this specific posterior location.