Hello - I don't get numb...

[luba]

Hello,

I think I've become phobic of dentists over the years. The reason is that sometimes, especially I've noticed with my lower teeth, the local anaesthetic just doesn't work.

Last year I had a very painful experience with a right lower molar that did not get numb when the dentist tried to freeze it. About a month after finally getting the filling done, the tooth ended up needing a root canal. That didn't hurt because the nerve had died at that point in time. Now I've got major decay on the other side of my lower jaw, and I'm terrified of going in for treatment.

My (relatively new) dentist is really nice, and understands my fear, but does not do conscious sedation. He said that I should use some kind of sedation to help me through the procedure He's said that I can either try nitrous at his office, or go to another dentist who does conscious sedation.

I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with nitrous, and whether it might help me to get numb. I'd prefer to stay with my dentist.

Any tips would be appreciated.

[letsconnect]

Hi there , I'm in a bit of a rush right now, don't know if you've come across the following page yet: www.dentalfearcentral.com/difficulty_numbing_dentist.html

There's some info there regarding these issues. Anxiety does increase some people's perception of pain, and nitrous oxide can be great for that. But also, especially in the lower jaw, the nerves can run in slightly unusual ways. There are special injection techniques that can deal with this, e. g. Gow-Gates block. Not all dentists are well-versed in these techniques, so if you're having problems with your current dentist being unable to get you numb, you may want to try and find someone who knows more advanced local anesthesia techniques (I know, can be easier said than done without insulting anyone... ). Sorry, gotta run now, but welcome to the board!

[luba]

Thanks for the welcome. I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens with the nitrous. If that fails, I'll probably try going to the dentist who does conscious sedation.

I'm REALLY scared to go in now. Needles don't bug me, nor does cleaning, but as soon as I hear the drill I want to run for my life!

[ljsbaw]

Hi, maybe your dentist didn't get the injection right and that's why you felt pain last time. if you were going for injection again, you could ask him to test it was working OK. if you get panicky, you could ask your GP about giving you a sedative before you go. I don't have any experience of having dentistry under general anasaethic, in fact - that idea seems more scary to me!

[dave]

Hi luba, welcome to the board!

Sorry about replying a bit late, I hope you get to read this!

If it's an reassurance, I have the exact problem you do. I believe that I'm "immune" to the anasthetic.

Last time I had root treatment, I had 7 or 8 injects before he began treatment, at about 5 to 10 minute intervals between each. It made the experience slightly-more bearable. Your dentist might not do this, but it could be worth asking.

I have also had Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) as a child, when having 3 milk-teeth removed. I can't remember a thing about that - except the 6 surgeons standing round as I slowly drifted in to unconciousness! That was rather intimating!

Sometimes I get numb on the first injection - that must be when the dentist gets me right on the nerve first time - which is a good thing, despite how it sounds!

Best of luck!
Dave

[luba]

Hi there,

Thanks for the responses. I got the root canal done, and the endodontist managed to get me numb with 6 or 7 (!) injections and a ton of nitrous. I didn't feel anything. I'd never had nitrous before this, and it was a pleasant surprise. Even more pleasant was that the insurance paid for 90% of everything including the nitrous.

Unfortunately, now it looks like TWO of my upper molars need root canals too. Good grief. At least I know where to go to get numb now...