So I have a cavity in the last molar on my lower left side. This is my first cavity and I’m not enthused about having it drilled and filled. I absolutely abhor needles, and I’ve heard the sound of a drill can be pretty intimidating. My pain tolerance level is extremely low, and people tend to not believe me when I tell them that. I could travel 750 miles to visit my regular dentist, or I could have some faith in the dentists here. So, my questions to you are:
Has anyone had the no needle procedure done? What’s it like? Painful? Extremely expensive? Would you do it again?
Listen, I hate needles ALOT. But if you have a low pain tolerance I would not advise getting it filled without anesthetic (sp?).
What are the alternatives?
Some dentists do nitrous oxide… its not really a pain killer… more of a distraction. I remember when I was younger I was so determined not to get a novocaine shot. I had talked my dentist out of giving me a shot and just using Nitrous. I was determined not to express pain of any sort, because the dentist said if I started to cry (!) from the pain he was definitely giving me novocaine. I remember visualizing the pain as multicolored fireballs. I think I was 12 at the time… the memory has stayed with me.
Your other option is… nothing. Depending on the size/shape/location of your cavity this may be feasible. But probably not. Especially if you are not good with pain.
Speak to your dentist about your concerns. They should be very understanding about your fears. If they are not, find a new dentist. However, there is not a whole heck of a lot they can offer other than novocaine to deaden the nerve in side the tooth. A good dentist WANTS you to have a positive experience so you will keep coming back to them and recommend them to others, of course.
Here’s what happens when I go to the dentist:
- They put some topical anesthetic goo on my gums to lessen the feeling of “getting a shot.”
- They ask me if I’m ready and help me do some relaxing breathing excercises
3)They shield the needle from me so I don’t see it. - When I indicate that I am ready, I close my eyes, and they begin the shot. They go very slowly so that the sting of the novocaine is minimized.
- They continue to verbally coach me through breathing excercises (if I’m not consciously calming myself I will hyperventilate during the injection)
As far as the drill… they’ve gotten a lot quieter over the years. But they do make a high whiney drill type noise. That part I don’t find to be so bad.
Ok, I’ve had a lot of fillings in the last month (8), plus five root canals in the last seven years. Do the novacaine. Inform the dentist of your apprehension before the filling appointment so they can take the necessary steps.
Here’s how my numbing has gone: First the gel on the gum. Once the dentist comes in he chats for a minute, then I close my eyes. He usually told me there would be a pinch. and I did feel it (the ones where they had to do the shot in the top inner part of my mouth were the worst, and not that bad even then), but it’s fast and simple. The drilling was not anywhere near as bad as I anticipated.
The only other option I know of is a sort of “twilight sleep”. They offered it to me for my last root canal, but I preferred not to have it, partly because I had no one to drive me home.
Finally, you said it was the back molar on the lower left - I had a filling in that tooth two weeks ago. Honestly, they had me numb enough that I didn’t feel a thing - until after. The filling was a little high, and I ended up going back after a week for them to take it down a little, and now it’s all good.
And I answered everything but your question - I have not had the no-drill procedure done, and actually haven’t heard of it. How does it work?
When I was younger, I had to get shots at the dentist on a few occasions, and it was really painful and I hated it. Thereafter, whenever I needed a filling, I would refuse the needle, because I felt that the drilling didn’t hurt as much as the shot.
Now, years later and a state away, I had to get a crown put on. But, I found myself a nice, modern dentist with years of experience. He was very, very good with the shot; I barely even felt the needle. So, everything there went quite smoothly. And the shot was very necessary, because getting a crown requires basically drilling the tooth down to a shadow of its former self.
Moral: if you can’t stand the shots you’re getting, find another dentist. Unless your cavity is very shallow, there’s gonna be pain.
I had nitrous oxide once. NEVER again!
It had no numbing effect, so they kept waiting for it to “take”
Then they gave me more.
Then they waited for that to “take”
Then they just went ahead without any painkiller, saying novocain and nitrous couldn’t be mixed.
I thought I was dying it was so bad. I left in the middle when his back was turned and never paid him. He never dared to bill me either.
A tactic that works for me is to pinch my arm on the same side as the novacane/lidocane or whatever they’re using now is injected into.(Starting the pinch just before the injection and keeping it up until after he’s done.) Ok, it’s a bit crazy but I can’t feel the needle when I do this. Unfortunately the pinch does hurt worse than the needle.(Which is ok with me since I am a control freak and I have an easier time dealing with it if I control where, when, and how much it hurts than letting an admitted professional have that control. Ok, maybe I’m a little touched 
)
de trop That is wrong! At my last root canal I had nitrous plus 3 (count em three) shots of Novocaine. Lived to tell the tale!
For my wisdom teeth I coughed up for intravenous Demerol. I am a biiig wussy, anxious dental patient, with low pain tolerance. It was worth every penny.
Every time I’ve had nitrous it was prior to the Novocaine. It makes me not care that they’re sticking needles in my gums. Yay for nitrous!
Lots of good advice in this thread. Most dentists I know of use the topical anesthetic, which helps a great deal with the injection. If you have a great fear of needles, the pinch technique is helpful…but don’t pinch yourself so hard that it hurts worse than the injection…the idea is that if your nerve synapses are concentrating on the pain from the pinch your body is focussing on that pain and doesn’t notice the subsequent pain from the injection. Or something like that…I had it explained to me once but it was a long time ago and I am kind of hazy on the details. Anyway, you don’t have to put yourself in THAT much pain to have it work. (Ouch, Dave_D…you don’t have to pinch THAT hard! 
)
I think what you are referring to is the no drill techniques that you hear about. They do not work for a cavity of any depth. In fact, from what I have heard, if the “laser” no drill technique is adequate to remove all the decay, it was probably shallow enough to be removed with the drill without anesthetic and without pain as well. AND you are likely to be charged a whole lot more by virtue of the fact that the laser machine is REALLY expensive and the dentist has to pay for it SOMEHOW.
Lasers DO have their uses, though, particularly in periodontal offices. That is the most current information I have, although of course I might have missed something if it is quite new.
Find a dentist who gives good injections (we have children in our practice who aren’t aware they have ever even HAD an injection…that is how good my boss is! Yay!) and take your Walkman and your favorite CD. Or a book on tape. You’d be amazed how much less uncomfortable you will be if you have something to listen to besides the drill.
Good luck…I know it is scary, but sometimes thinking about it beforehand is worse than the actual procedure.
Dave_D, I think you’re my dental twin! I do the exact same thing when I have to get novacaine. When the dental assistant gave me an odd look, my explanation was, “I can’t feel the needle if I pinch my finger” (I pinch the skin between the middle and top knuckles of my left index finger with my nails). And my reasoning is exactly the same as yours: I’m the one pinching myself, I’m the one causing the pain, not some stranger who I have no control over. The only “whoops” time I had was when I needed shots on the roof of my mouth. I pinched my skin so hard I broke the skin and had a scab. :eek:.
So if you’re a “little touched”, than I am too.
Doesn’t anyone have a dentist who shakes your lips while giving the shots? Mine does. The shaking distracts you and if it’s done right, you won’t even feel the needle. The needles really aren’t that bad. It does feel a bit like a pinch, but it actually hurts less than a shot to other parts of your body.
Honestly, I would never do a filling or root canal without both Novacaine and Nitrous. I tense up too much.
de trop, it sounds like your dentist got his license from the back of a magazine! Nitrous is not a painkiller, it’s a relaxer, and you can certainly mix it with Novacaine. You don’t give more so that it can “take.” You give more if you want to knock the patient out.
I slept through my two root canals, a deliberate step on my part with the NO[sub]2[/sub] and I would never, ever go to a dentist who didn’t offer the gas.
Laser dentists, they are your no drill friend:
Hell, my dentist does the lip shaking thing. Of course my whole reason for the pinch(Which isn’t that hard btw) is to give me control.(Ok, I like being in control, even if it’s only a little.) I know how you feel about tensing up though. I didn’t get my root canal at the first endodontist because she doesn’t use nitrous and wouldn’t break it up into shorter(IE hour long) segments. For those that care the reason alot of dentists don’t like nitrous is it can leak from the mask and make the dentist giddy. Also it’s odd that she wouldn’t break up the canal into multiple appointments.(No way I was going to do a 2-3 hour single sitting thing) My dentist friend told me a root canal over 2 or 3 sessions has a slightly higher success rate than when the dentist tries to do it in one session.
P.S. Did I mention the worst part about my root canal was that absolutely horrible abomination musak version of Vivaldi’s Primavera;)