Wow, Bill! I’m never gonna understand that… you’re either REALLY butch and manly, or your mouth isn’t very sensitive…
On an ironic note: I finished a round of dental treatment last week, and now I have a toothache! It’s one of my wisdom teeth (yes, I still have them) and it started with a little soreness a few days ago, but now is friggin’ throbbing.
I had Astrogirl call the dentist, and he managed to find time for me tomorrow… but MAN! I’m in pain right now!
Tonight I am self-medicating… IE: drinking beer and soju to kill the pain a bit, but I have no idea how I’m going to get through class tomorrow before my appointment!
I have a feeling that he’s gonna yank my wisdom teeth tomorrow… which is fine by me right now! I’m tempted to do it myself…
Well…more people than I thought manage to do this without a shot. Must be variability in pain thresholds/subjective perception of the sensation. All I know, is if Dr B. my kindly dentist hits something that is not numbed, I react involuntarily.
I need a lot of shots to numb me (I had five on Monday.) Because of long roots or something. I have tried lying & telling the dentist that it’s numb when it’s not yet, and trying to relax & remove my mind from impending discomfort, just to see if I could.
Two elderly people I know of say they never allow shots or pain killers because they don’t want to become addicted to them, and are terrified at becoming drug addicts from novocaine. Casualties of the Media War on Drugs, one might argue.
I will ask for the shots.
I will beg for the shots.
I will grovel for the shots.
I want to be gassed, numbed, put under, knocked out, drugged up or whatever the word is in your particular jargon. I don’t want to feel a thing. And that’s just for the cleanings.
Went to the dentist today, and he took an x-ray and promptly ripped my wisdom tooth from my skull!
YOWCH!!:eek:
And I had 3 shot of lidocaine or whatever! Man alive!
The dentist had a lot of trouble getting it out, and cursed several times under his breath. Blood flew, and I probably swallowed a gallon of it… there were horrible crunching noises, as well as a craven high-pitched whimpering noise (I think that was me…).
He showed me the tooth after he finished stitching the wound closed… it was HUGE, and part of the root was hooked like a fishing hook!
Oh, man… I’m done for the day!
I wanna shake the hand of the man who invented anesthesia!
Second everything that Mr. White (welcome, BTW) said.
Personally, I want anything short of a general. This is my big phobia. I told my dentist he intimidated the HELL out of me, and he was shocked (he is a small, slight man). I reminded him he stuck power tools in my mouth. I did tell him when he took a wisdom tooth, though, if I saw it, he’d have a few of his on the floor.
I am petrified of needles going places I can’t see. Inside my mouth is one of those places. However, I am more afraid of the drill, so I found a dentist who’ll give me nitrous and THEN stick me so that even though I feel the needle, I don’t care. It also makes it easier for the dentist in question when I’m not saying, “Okay, go ahead…wait!” a dozen times because I think I’m ready but when that Needle of Doom approaches my mouth I panic.
I have a very nice dentist, and I hope he doesn’t mind that when I’m in his office, I’m scared of him, because if I knew him elsewhere I’m sure I’d like him a lot.
I don’t know about other dentists but the one I went to wanted to drill out the cavity completely not just get the bad stuff out. He said he wanted to have it cleaned out pretty good to avoid them going bad again. I am not afraid of shots and didn’t mind the novacaine too much. Trust me, I still felt it when he hit the nerve in the tooth. This is when you either decide to hold on tight or start doing some dental work on your own.
Maybe some have higher pain tolerances but if you can go without any novacaine to numb the area, you must be lucky then not to experience that high level of pain. I just can’t see not able to take a small needle but leaving them use those power tools and such in your mouth.
I refuse novocaine. Basically for two reasons. first, it has no effect, it feels the same with or without, and without is just quicker. also Novocaine makes me really nautious a couple hours later. Second even if it did work, the thought of someone drilling or cutting into a dead area of my body really gives me the creeps. I would much rather deal with the pain then lay there with no perception of my own body(maybe it’s some kind psycho control thing)
