thought that i was young

[musesfool]

Last night, the dentist asked me if I wanted novocaine for my filling. I said, "Well, do you think it's necessary?" And he said, "Yes, because I'll be drilling close to the gum." So I said, "Okay, then

Comments

[shoiryu]

Re: without novocaine: I did once! I was a teenager in high school, and terrified of needles, and the dentist wanted to drill a little to put in a filling in one of my teeth. Foolishly I thought that nothing could be as horrible as getting a shot in the mouth omfg.

Needless to say, when I needed some baby molars pulled the next year, I begged for the drugs.

[musesfool]

Oh, honey, no. That's awful!

and they have that stuff that numbs your gums before the shot! It works really well, because last night, I didn't even feel the pinch, though I felt the pressure.

Needless to say, when I needed some baby molars pulled the next year, I begged for the drugs.

I can imagine.

[shoiryu]

Seriously! Nobody had explained to me how relatively painless the shot actually is -- all fifteen year old me could think was OH GOD, NEEDLE IN MOUTH. :( I have definitely learned my lesson (and I get a badass story to tell, too: "this one time I was willingly drilled without novocaine...")

[anderyn]

Oh my goodness, that sounds terrifying. Of course, I am also terrified of needles, particularly in my mouth, and the first time a dentist came at me with one I screamed. He backhanded me across the face twice, and I got the work done sans Novocaine. I was eight. So I have a SERIOUS dentist phobia, although my current dentist is very nice, and gentle, and gives me valium to cope. (But for me, the shots cause huge bruises in my gums and pain for days after, so it's a no-win situation.)

[marag]

::coughs:: Actually, I frequently go without novocaine for minor cavities because I hate shots and the taste of the novocaine more than I hate the drilling :D

Also, I react very badly to the epinephrine in most novocaine, so even if I get it, it doesn't last very long.

[musesfool]

I can't even imagine going through that without novocaine! Can't they give you gas or something?

[marag]

Novocaine actually doesn't *work* on one quadrant of my mouth, so I recently had an extraction and implant done with essentially no anesthesia. The only thing I've ever experienced that was more painful was the final stages of labor.

Next time, my dentist promised gas.

[delle]

gas. use the happy gas. I have severe dental anxiety (had a terrible dentist when I was younger and also had a cavity or two done w/o novacaine because he mishandled the novocaine injections so badly they were excruiatingly painful) and I can't handle anything without happy gas.

I'm considering conscious sedation for my next crown (which I badly need, but, yanno, severe dental anxiety)

[celtprincess13]

My uncle and five of his seven kids all opt for "no novocaine" during fillings. I've always thought they are nuts for that.

I don't think I've ever had my nose go numb, but I have had the whole lower half of my face that way. And of course bit a big hole in my lip at the time, dammit.

[musesfool]

Yeah, to me, that's just crazy. Why suffer when you don't have to? I think the risks are mostly worth it.

[deaver]

Oddly enough, my last filling was done without novocaine because the location was so high on my tooth and wasn't very deep. Other than a slight bit of heat from the drill I actually didn't feel anything. Shocked the heck out of me but I was very glad to not have a drooly mouth for the rest of the day. I guess it's all dependent upon where the tooth repair needs to take place.

Glad you finally recovered from the novocaine though, that numbness can be super uncomfortable.

[musesfool]

This was a baby tooth, so I don't think there is much space between the surface and the gum. *snerk* But I find everything else about the process so gross and off-putting that I can't imagine being in pain through it, as well.

[anderyn]

Speaking as someone who feels every bit of anything they do in my mouth, I go for the anesthetic every time! It's to the point that my dentist even offered me Novocaine when I was having my root canal sealed. But my dear husband, who apparently is not so sensitive, has been known to go without Novocaine and to even fall asleep in the dentist's chair while drilling was happening. So it's all very idiosyncratic.

My sympathies on the dental work, and also on the work screwup -- those are always painful! Particularly when you have to tell your boss about them.

[musesfool]

While they're cleaning my teeth, I have been known to drift off, but the drilling, no. For that I need drugs.