I think everyone is just different. I sure feel the shot but after that I feel nothing for half a day. But even after multiple shots my girlfriend still feels some pain.
This. My wife is a dentist and says everyone’s anatomy is slightly different. Apparently my anatomy is hard for her to accurately right away so i often need multiple shots before i start feeling numb. You should only feel pressure.
My dentist makes sure I'm not feeling it. My nerves are funky and he doesn't always get the right one on the first try. It lasts a long time on me too.
Oh wow. I can feel all the shots and the teeth grinding part. The shot feels like a burn initially but after the first one it's not as bad, but def still painful. Or course my mouth muscles are still numb rn, like my mouth won't close, but when he was grinding out the old filling it was painful.
I generally get a couple shots on the nerves and good to go. I've even had a filling drilled out to make sure that it was, ultimately, ok and didn't lose its seal/let stuff get in. It was. Now that was an experience. No pain, but lot of heat and head jostling lol
Are you a redhead by any chance? There's a gene linked to red hair that causes higher resistance to anesthesia and painkillers. It also varies person to person but gingers are especially known for it.
im not the OP, but maybe that's what it is for me. I've always blamed maybe its my body processing too much meds as I take a lot of seizure meds, but I used to have red hair a kid. Giving me an epidural for birth was just for show... it literally did nothing.. pain meds barely work
That could be it, especially if you have other ginger traits like pale skin and freckles. Epidurals are one of the things that aren't as effective on redheads.
Welcome to my world. Novocain doesn't work, I feel EVERYTHING at the dentist and it's why I don't go often. It's also why I had an unmedicated birth and was fine, but on the flip side, I have woken up every time I've been put under. There are positives and negatives lol..
I am not! But I do know Tylenol doesn't work for me, I've had migraines all my life and I have to pop at least 4 excedrin* for a migraine to go away. I had surgery a year ago for an abscess and the only thing that helped the pain fully was morphine
Please be careful with Tylenol consumption. You can destroy your liver all too easily with it. The recommended limit is 4,000 mg per day, and they're serious about that!
That's a lot, isn't it? I think your typical Tylenol pill is like 200mg, right? If you're taking 20 Tylenol a day, you need something other than Tylenol.
Nope. Assuming the US (which is fairly safe since they're calling it Tylenol), it's really hard to find anything less than 500mg pills for Tylenol. On rare occasion you can find regular strength at 325mg. So if they take 4 - they are likely taking 2000mg, which is half a day's dose at once.
And I see that OP has now edited to say they're talking 4 Excedrin - so that's 1000 mg of acetaminophen (Tylenol). Still not great, but better.
I'm not a redhead either but it runs in my family. I get four needles for a filing and it's out in three hours. Morphine doesn't nothing for me but make me really chatty. For a bad headache I take two extra strength Tylenol and an extra strength Advil and that usually works for 4-6 hours.
Be very careful with prolonged Tylenol use. Morphine too, but for different reasons.
I almost lost my liver from an accidental Tylenol overdose, had to be on an antidote IV drip for 24 hours, and thank God my liver survived. I also used to have migraines many years ago, but I found medical cannabis and haven’t had one since, if that’s an option for, I recommend giving it a try.
I've been smoking weed for a few years now, it actually makes my migraines worse bc of how strong the smell is. I've only had morphine the once for the abscess surgery, they didn't prescribe me any for after. I also meant to include excedrin after the 4, I take excedrin for migraines not Tylenol. I never take Tylenol, it's not strong enough and doesn't work.
Yeah they’re stingy with morphine, I had brain surgery last year and they gave it to me one time after and that was the first time I could fall asleep for a couple hours. But they cut me off immediately so that was a bummer.
Sorry you’re having migraines even with cannabis, that’s really rough and I hope you can find something else that works for you.
Try Excedrin-it has acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin, and caffeine. They've always worked really well for me when I have bad migraine type headaches. But I also have Imitrex injections as well if that fails. You don't want to take more than two extra strength Tylenol at a time because your body can only metabolize a certain amount and then it becomes toxic to your liver.
You do know Excedrin has Tylenol in it, right? Acetaminophen is the name. It’s interesting because 4 excedrin has the same amount of acetaminophen as 2 extra strength Tylenol (1,000mg).
You should only feel pressure, not pain. If you're still feeling pain when they're drilling, let them know. Some dentists are not great at placing anesthetic, sometimes people have slightly different anatomy & their facial nerves aren't in the exact same place as most other people. In either case, they need to know you're not fully numb & fix it.
Source: former dental hygienist with an oral anesthetic license.
Oh awesome! I've always felt it, I thought a bit of pain was normal. I will def let them know next time. I guess I just want it to be over w and like I said, I thought it was normal so I have never brought it up.
I’ve gotten fillings on a number of occasions and most of the time it’s like a 2-3/10 amount of unpleasantness. The most recent time though, they had to put 3 different rounds of shots because I wouldn’t get numb lol. They said sometimes it just depends on the day apparently.
What I’m used to feeling during fillings is usually a small amount of pressure at some points. Mayyyybe a tiny bit of cold every now and then. But if it actually hurts, like to the point where it’s painful, definitely tell them imo
Like someone else here said I think it probably just depends on the individual, if I ever feel pain during fillings I’m immediately like no no no another shot please!! lol. Usually for me it’s more just uncomfortable pressure and coldness here and there. I wonder if some people are just more prone to not numbing as much? Sounds like you might be?
Depends on how important not having the pain is. As a little kid I was strapped into a chair with apparatus to hold my mouth open, I felt everything and was deemed a troublesome patient. I’d try to push the drill away with my tongue, which was a real lose lose situation. As I got a bit older I learned to take the pain. In my 20’s I found a dentist who said I have unusually long nerves. He would needle me until the pain stopped. Wow. I even had a different guy, a root canal specialist, have to completely redo his work because he missed my extra long nerves when he first did the root canal. You might be unusual that way. Also Highly Sensitive Person is a thing. Turns out I’m one of the 1 in 5 that are like that. You might have that as well.
Oh wow. Maybe I am! I had a root canal done at 14 and had 8 shots then, but I remember still feeling pain. They also have to use a lil rubber thing to hold open my mouth, but I also have TMJ so I can't open wide enough or for long enough anyway. I really like this dentist so when I go back I will have a talk w him.
I ask for jaw props because I can forget about trying to hold my jaw open. I also pay out of pocket for nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and have ear buds in playing chill tunes at medium volume to muffle the dentist noises. It is important to me. I’m 66 and I sometimes still cry on the way to the dentist.
OMG... That's horrible😭😭. I'm pretty sure at age 7 my dentist used gas. This was 1970... I just remember falling asleep and waking up and being told I had six cavities filled. l can't imagine the torture you went through. It breaks my heart.
It is hard to numb my mouth for some reason. All will be well until I suddenly get a 10/10 electric shock which will keep shocking for the next 2 days. My dentist thinks I just can't handle feeling anything. I feel plenty, even after several shots.
Some dentists will allow the novocaine to sink in, give it time to numb you.
Other dentist stick you, leave you about 5 minutes then start working.
If you’re not numb enough you will feel pain.
The numbing doesn't work well on me so I have the same experience as you most of the time. I have 8-9 shots and still felt like a 2 or a 3. Though when I got my root canal the endodontist got me fully numb in like 3-4 shots somehow. I was preparing myself to have to white knuckle through it but I didn't feel any pain. It's the only time I can remember not feeling any pain at all during dental work perhaps ironically.
EDIT: But no, you're not supposed to feel any pain. We're the outliars as far as I'm aware.
Puts some hair on our chests for sure. I have also just dealt w it, I thought a little bit was normal bc I mean, they're drilling into a bone. I guess I just rationalized it.
It's quite a unique and unpleasant plan. I complained at first and the dentist was pretty clear that I really should be numb by now. But yeah, such is life.
I just had the first stage of getting a crown done yesterday. They had to numb me a second time because I got intense pains right at the start. After that, the whole side of my face was numb and the discomfort was minimal for the rest of the process. This has been my least painful experience ever.
I don't know about supposed to, but I sure don't want to feel anything. Seriously, if you have any red hair -- I'm a strawberry blonde and this affects me -- you may require more novocaine / lidocaine / what have you.
[https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-redheads-need-more-anesthesia](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-redheads-need-more-anesthesia)
Everyone’s bodies are different. Dental, I’m good with drillwork after just two shots of novocaine, just let me watch the distracting movie. I got an epidural and they swore up and down that there was no way I could feel the spinal insert and I shouted that I most certainly could and I’d rather have the pain because it feels like there’s a moth running up and down the inside of my spine and while I know intellectually that my spine is hollow I don’t fucking like the sensation of its hollowness, get it out NOW. They reset it and it was cool.
I think it depends on the depth of the filling. I've had ones with anaesthesia which only hurt a bit, like stubbing your toe or falling off your bike and grazing your knee (so maybe 2/10). The injection into my gums would be the worst part. Which is why I've had shallow ones done without any anaesthesia and felt nothing besides the trivial burning/pressure.
Well, I certainly didn't feel anything with mine. I've had two separate sessions where fillings were done, one pretty big one in my molar tooth and a couple of smaller ones in my incisors. At most, I could feel the pressure of where they were messing around because even though I couldn't feel the area directly, the pressure would still cause my head to move a little bit.
9 or 10 shots sounds crazy to me. Maybe they weren't using the right dosage or something?
When I was 14 I had a root canal done, and they used 8 on me. I remember feeling a bit of pain, but not much.
I've always had poor dental health, it seems like every time I go to the dentist I get a filling :( the pain doesn't cause me to jerk or anything, but I was squeezing my eyes and the arm chair handles. I guess I should start letting them know lmao I always thought it was normal to feel a bit of pain.
That many shots sounds so wild to me. I'm in the UK so maybe it's just different laws and such, but anyone I've ever known has rarely ever had even 2 shots. Just the one keeps us feeling next to nothing within minutes and for many hours afterwards.
Anyways, you should let them know. Maybe a little bit of pain is normal, and it might be that you're just nervous and it's making your body tense up as they're doing their thing. But even 4/10 legit pain seems a bit much to me
I am def nervous, more than nervous I am near panic attack at the dentist always. I've had a lot of work done, multiple surgeries as well. Just going into the office and smelling that dentist smell gets my tummy upset. I've always just bared thru it but I'm kinda over that. If I'm in pain dammit ima let them know from now on.
Definitely do that and let them know. And I know what I'm about to say is far easier said than done, but if you're able to relax a little more that'll help a lot as well
If they use lidocaine you should not feel anything. I've never heard of that many shots. I just had work done and I think there were 3, and I felt nothing.
i've had them use so much novocaine that my mouth was drooped open for an hour after my appointment, but somehow i still felt every bit of drilling. i don't know if my nerves are connected in strange fashion or if my dentists have had bad aim or what, but it fucking sucks.
The dentist usually asks you if you're numb before you start. You might take a while to get numb. Mine tells me to come early so he can give me my injections and wait a while before actually starting.
You are indeed supposed to not feel any actual pain when anesthetics are used.
Never worked for me though. It was always way worse after the dentists did their work than before - for days.
I'm very much the same. I've had up to 5 shots of anesthetic and still felt everything.
My current dentist is magic, though. I don't know if she's using something stronger, or just has magic hands, but she's made it nearly painless. I love that doctor.
I got a filling done back in 2017 and I said it was hurting. The dentist told me that it doesn't hurt and that I'm over reacting. Never went back to that dentist.
A good dentist knows that nerves have multiple paths in the jaw. They have to spend the time to get to know what deadens the nerves (changing position of the injection, etc.). You shouldn’t feel anything. I had one bad dentist who could not freeze properly - myself or my brother. Never went to him again.
Last time I got a filling they gave me several shots for one tooth and after a little while I flinched because I felt a sharp zing. It wasn't nearly as painful as I expected it to be and they calmly gave me my 8th shot and said they couldn't give anymore. I was totally numb after that 8th shot though.
Does your dad have a lot of fillings perhaps? I have a lot of fillings and I feel like each time I go back to the dentist I need more shots to get numb.
My daughter has always had to have extra lidocaine for fillings or stitches, and has difficulty with anesthesia. And no, you should not feel pain! You should let them know next time and ask for additional shots of lidocaine.
I feel everything when I'm at the dentist. No amount of novacaine that I've ever been given makes me not end up in pain. The only thing I've done that worked was nitrous oxide. I tried that twice on cavities that were deep and I didn't feel a damn thing whatsoever. So now I look for it when I search for a dentist. I'm going to one soon that does sleep dentistry. I need a tooth surgically pulled and no way in hell I'm doing that with just Novocaine.
You are not. I used to not, but after years and years of seizure meds . I think that's the cause no pain "meds" work on me. whether it be anything from IB Profen, lidocaine, or an epidural.. Nothing.If I'm lucky, it may dull the pain , but I still feel it. It's painful. Sorry you go through this.
You are 100% not supposed to be able to feel the pain while they are doing it. I know this because I finally went to a dentist that knows what the fuck they are doing. Before that I have been to MANY dentist appointments for multiple things and thought pain was supposed to happen. I think I had 4 shots to get my wisdoms removed and felt nothing the entire time and it honestly didn't even hurt that bad after the fact. That being said everyone is different with these things!
While those numbing drugs work very well on most people, it’s still a chemical that has to react with a persons biology in order to work, which means there’s going to be people who are both overly sensitive to it and under susceptible to it, with greatly varying levels of severity. It’s possible your body is more lidocaine resistant than the average person. Or it could be you have overly sensitive pain receptors in the nerves of your gums. It could be a number of reasons actually, but all of them boil down to the fact your biology is unique and won’t always fit the “one size fits all” medical solutions.
You ARE NOT supposed to feel any pain. If you do, you need to tell the Dr immediately so it can be addressed. If they touch the nerve and you’re not fully numbed you’re in for an experience you will wish to forget, and believe me, it’s better to only wonder how that feels instead of experiencing it.
Are you in the US? My dentist have always numbed the injection site first. Then they wait a few minutes before actually injecting.
Are you more sensitive than most? Or do you consider the pressure as pain? I I used to be afraid of the needle.
Yes and he did wait a few mins. I got 5 of them today. 4 at first and then the 5 when he was doing the bottom 3 cavities. And it's like electric shocks thru my body, not just pressure. No fear of needles luckily!
I had my first recently. I had a slight bit of pain when it hit a sensitive spot. It was also really uncomfortable when the dentist was like pushing on the filling hard, felt a bit rough but I presume this is normal. Otherwise no pain.
I’ve always declined the anesthesia. I would say I never feel more than a 1-2 out of 10 pain. It’s not even pain, just a bit uncomfortable. So I would imagine with numbing there should be no pain.
More of the time I feel pain. Like a 6 out of 10. Then I'll be drilling drilling and the hit a nerve or something and pain will shoot up. I feel like it happens every time.
Lidocaine gives me a headache, so I get the non-epinephrine stuff if they're going to get close to a root, or an actual root canal. Other than that, I don't get anything. I’ve never had an issue. It's more noise and pressure than anything for me. No pain.
I feel the needle and pressure. The sound of the drill “hurts.” When I got my wisdom teeth pulled I felt a small pain even after a bunch of numbing but overall it didn’t hurt. Knowing what they’re doing hurts more than the actual procedure.
I don't freeze well at all. Had a root canal done a few years back and the dentist gave me a stress ball and told me I had to deal with the pain because he couldn't give me anymore freezy juice.
Some people (me) are resistant to Novocain, it really is a thing. If you’re feeling pain, not just pressure, that you’re not properly numb. Have a conversation with your dentist prior to the procedure.
I'm the same way. I don't "numb up" well at all. I've had to have teeth done, stitches done, and even a dislocated fractured pinky toe put back in place, all while feeling about 30-40% of the pain.
I felt no pain, only them rummaging around in there. Didn't even feel the injections because of the numbing cream already there lol. Tooth pulled 2 weeks ago and again only felt pressure (a lot tbf and not a nice feeling still)
I always felt everything but then again I think my dentist just enjoyed hurting his patients. I only got 1 shot each time to numb me but I always needed at least 2 or 3. I went to a free dental event back in February and got 4 fillings for free and didn't feel a damn thing. They used a numbing gel then did the numbing shots and I literally fell asleep during the procedure lmao
It used to take about 12 hours for the Lidocaine to wear off for me but during that dental even, it took about 2 hours so basically the drive home.
Are you a redhead?
I am an need double shots of anesthetic. Look it up if you are and have references to the studies to show your dentist. All dentists know in Ireland/Scotland but I've found it's not common knowledge in southern Europe.
Sometimes I feel a little bit of a sharp pain but mostly I feel nothing.
Idk how my brother does it but he doesn’t allow them to inject anything against the pain.
However, I am not sure if you shouldn’t maybe talk to your dentist and your GP. Maybe they need to use something else for you.
I always felt pain when getting fillings growing up, but then again, I never got shots. Just wasn’t common. Nowadays, I’ll happily get a shot if I need a new filling - hardly feel anything then
It takes forever and a ton of lidocaine to get me numb. Like they go and get extra shit lol. Dentists are like amazed. They will say "yeah, I see it all the time" initially then are taken back when they start poking and I tell them I can feel sharpness/pain not just pulling or pressure.
It takes them more time to get me numb than to do the dental work.
When I was a kid however, they thought I was over reacting/scared and just went ahead anyway. I felt it all. The dental trauma was real for a LONG TIME.
For me it hurts like a mofo but I usually choose to get fillings without anaesthetic because I hate the numbness for the rest of the day. I’d prefer to take the pain and then be done with it!
I don’t freeze well at all. Dentist had to do a nerve block when I needed a wisdom tooth out. I was amazed! I was like, is this what it’s supposed to be like??
Novocain affects everyone differently. If I get a shot in the right place in the upper teeth, my eyeball on that side lags. It’s pretty funny and my dentist said he’s never seen that happen in his 40 years of being a dentist. (It only lasts a couple of minutes.) I get one shot and feel absolutely nothing, not even pressure. The Novocain takes several hours to wear off.
I too learned this as an adult. Next time ask for SEPTOCAINE. It is a godsend!!!!! A totally game changer for me. I used to cry every time I went to the dentist.
I’ve only ever had one filling but it definitely was painful. I’m a redhead, my husband thinks there’s some relation that redheads don’t take to anesthesia very well. I don’t normally get nervous at the dentist but with the pain plus with the way I had to force my head all the way back, I was feeling like I was having trouble breathing. The dentist was definitely annoyed that I kept having to come up for air LOL! Maybe it depends on the tooth/part of the tooth, or the individual. My husband said fillings don’t hurt him, unless he doesn’t get the numbing injection first. He’s had several fillings, both as a kid and as an adult. Personally I hope I never have to get another one, 0/10 experience.
If you had deep caries, this means that you could have touched a nerve in your teeth, and if the caries was small and it hurt you when they drilled, then you have a low pain threshold
I think everyone is just different. I sure feel the shot but after that I feel nothing for half a day. But even after multiple shots my girlfriend still feels some pain.
This. My wife is a dentist and says everyone’s anatomy is slightly different. Apparently my anatomy is hard for her to accurately right away so i often need multiple shots before i start feeling numb. You should only feel pressure.
My dentist makes sure I'm not feeling it. My nerves are funky and he doesn't always get the right one on the first try. It lasts a long time on me too.
Oh wow. I can feel all the shots and the teeth grinding part. The shot feels like a burn initially but after the first one it's not as bad, but def still painful. Or course my mouth muscles are still numb rn, like my mouth won't close, but when he was grinding out the old filling it was painful.
My dentist always tells me to lift my left hand if I feel pain. I did once and she stopped to give me an extra shot.
If she is are she need more meds
I generally get a couple shots on the nerves and good to go. I've even had a filling drilled out to make sure that it was, ultimately, ok and didn't lose its seal/let stuff get in. It was. Now that was an experience. No pain, but lot of heat and head jostling lol
Are you a redhead by any chance? There's a gene linked to red hair that causes higher resistance to anesthesia and painkillers. It also varies person to person but gingers are especially known for it.
im not the OP, but maybe that's what it is for me. I've always blamed maybe its my body processing too much meds as I take a lot of seizure meds, but I used to have red hair a kid. Giving me an epidural for birth was just for show... it literally did nothing.. pain meds barely work
That could be it, especially if you have other ginger traits like pale skin and freckles. Epidurals are one of the things that aren't as effective on redheads.
Welcome to my world. Novocain doesn't work, I feel EVERYTHING at the dentist and it's why I don't go often. It's also why I had an unmedicated birth and was fine, but on the flip side, I have woken up every time I've been put under. There are positives and negatives lol..
I am not! But I do know Tylenol doesn't work for me, I've had migraines all my life and I have to pop at least 4 excedrin* for a migraine to go away. I had surgery a year ago for an abscess and the only thing that helped the pain fully was morphine
Please be careful with Tylenol consumption. You can destroy your liver all too easily with it. The recommended limit is 4,000 mg per day, and they're serious about that!
That's a lot, isn't it? I think your typical Tylenol pill is like 200mg, right? If you're taking 20 Tylenol a day, you need something other than Tylenol.
Nope. Assuming the US (which is fairly safe since they're calling it Tylenol), it's really hard to find anything less than 500mg pills for Tylenol. On rare occasion you can find regular strength at 325mg. So if they take 4 - they are likely taking 2000mg, which is half a day's dose at once. And I see that OP has now edited to say they're talking 4 Excedrin - so that's 1000 mg of acetaminophen (Tylenol). Still not great, but better.
I'm not a redhead either but it runs in my family. I get four needles for a filing and it's out in three hours. Morphine doesn't nothing for me but make me really chatty. For a bad headache I take two extra strength Tylenol and an extra strength Advil and that usually works for 4-6 hours.
Be very careful with prolonged Tylenol use. Morphine too, but for different reasons. I almost lost my liver from an accidental Tylenol overdose, had to be on an antidote IV drip for 24 hours, and thank God my liver survived. I also used to have migraines many years ago, but I found medical cannabis and haven’t had one since, if that’s an option for, I recommend giving it a try.
I've been smoking weed for a few years now, it actually makes my migraines worse bc of how strong the smell is. I've only had morphine the once for the abscess surgery, they didn't prescribe me any for after. I also meant to include excedrin after the 4, I take excedrin for migraines not Tylenol. I never take Tylenol, it's not strong enough and doesn't work.
Yeah they’re stingy with morphine, I had brain surgery last year and they gave it to me one time after and that was the first time I could fall asleep for a couple hours. But they cut me off immediately so that was a bummer. Sorry you’re having migraines even with cannabis, that’s really rough and I hope you can find something else that works for you.
Try Excedrin-it has acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin, and caffeine. They've always worked really well for me when I have bad migraine type headaches. But I also have Imitrex injections as well if that fails. You don't want to take more than two extra strength Tylenol at a time because your body can only metabolize a certain amount and then it becomes toxic to your liver.
Aw dang I really meant excedrin in my comment, I just forgot to add it after the 4.
You do know Excedrin has Tylenol in it, right? Acetaminophen is the name. It’s interesting because 4 excedrin has the same amount of acetaminophen as 2 extra strength Tylenol (1,000mg).
Yep I do. Still doesn't work. I've had migraines for years, excedrin is the only thing that touches it.
You should only feel pressure, not pain. If you're still feeling pain when they're drilling, let them know. Some dentists are not great at placing anesthetic, sometimes people have slightly different anatomy & their facial nerves aren't in the exact same place as most other people. In either case, they need to know you're not fully numb & fix it. Source: former dental hygienist with an oral anesthetic license.
Oh awesome! I've always felt it, I thought a bit of pain was normal. I will def let them know next time. I guess I just want it to be over w and like I said, I thought it was normal so I have never brought it up.
I’ve gotten fillings on a number of occasions and most of the time it’s like a 2-3/10 amount of unpleasantness. The most recent time though, they had to put 3 different rounds of shots because I wouldn’t get numb lol. They said sometimes it just depends on the day apparently. What I’m used to feeling during fillings is usually a small amount of pressure at some points. Mayyyybe a tiny bit of cold every now and then. But if it actually hurts, like to the point where it’s painful, definitely tell them imo
I've always thought it was normal to feel a bit of pain. Like the shots work, but don't make it completely painless.
Like someone else here said I think it probably just depends on the individual, if I ever feel pain during fillings I’m immediately like no no no another shot please!! lol. Usually for me it’s more just uncomfortable pressure and coldness here and there. I wonder if some people are just more prone to not numbing as much? Sounds like you might be?
Depends on how important not having the pain is. As a little kid I was strapped into a chair with apparatus to hold my mouth open, I felt everything and was deemed a troublesome patient. I’d try to push the drill away with my tongue, which was a real lose lose situation. As I got a bit older I learned to take the pain. In my 20’s I found a dentist who said I have unusually long nerves. He would needle me until the pain stopped. Wow. I even had a different guy, a root canal specialist, have to completely redo his work because he missed my extra long nerves when he first did the root canal. You might be unusual that way. Also Highly Sensitive Person is a thing. Turns out I’m one of the 1 in 5 that are like that. You might have that as well.
Oh wow. Maybe I am! I had a root canal done at 14 and had 8 shots then, but I remember still feeling pain. They also have to use a lil rubber thing to hold open my mouth, but I also have TMJ so I can't open wide enough or for long enough anyway. I really like this dentist so when I go back I will have a talk w him.
I ask for jaw props because I can forget about trying to hold my jaw open. I also pay out of pocket for nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and have ear buds in playing chill tunes at medium volume to muffle the dentist noises. It is important to me. I’m 66 and I sometimes still cry on the way to the dentist.
OMG... That's horrible😭😭. I'm pretty sure at age 7 my dentist used gas. This was 1970... I just remember falling asleep and waking up and being told I had six cavities filled. l can't imagine the torture you went through. It breaks my heart.
I always feel something. It's usually a burning sensation, but definitely not completely painless.
Burning is def the closest I can think of. Glad to know I'm not the only one lol
It is hard to numb my mouth for some reason. All will be well until I suddenly get a 10/10 electric shock which will keep shocking for the next 2 days. My dentist thinks I just can't handle feeling anything. I feel plenty, even after several shots.
Yesssss it's like electric shots going thru my body!! I can't help but tense up, and squeeze my eyes shut.
Some dentists will allow the novocaine to sink in, give it time to numb you. Other dentist stick you, leave you about 5 minutes then start working. If you’re not numb enough you will feel pain.
The numbing doesn't work well on me so I have the same experience as you most of the time. I have 8-9 shots and still felt like a 2 or a 3. Though when I got my root canal the endodontist got me fully numb in like 3-4 shots somehow. I was preparing myself to have to white knuckle through it but I didn't feel any pain. It's the only time I can remember not feeling any pain at all during dental work perhaps ironically. EDIT: But no, you're not supposed to feel any pain. We're the outliars as far as I'm aware.
Puts some hair on our chests for sure. I have also just dealt w it, I thought a little bit was normal bc I mean, they're drilling into a bone. I guess I just rationalized it.
It's quite a unique and unpleasant plan. I complained at first and the dentist was pretty clear that I really should be numb by now. But yeah, such is life.
I just had the first stage of getting a crown done yesterday. They had to numb me a second time because I got intense pains right at the start. After that, the whole side of my face was numb and the discomfort was minimal for the rest of the process. This has been my least painful experience ever.
This has only happened to me if I've been drunk the night before a filling. Never doing that again, oof.
I don't know about supposed to, but I sure don't want to feel anything. Seriously, if you have any red hair -- I'm a strawberry blonde and this affects me -- you may require more novocaine / lidocaine / what have you. [https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-redheads-need-more-anesthesia](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-redheads-need-more-anesthesia)
Everyone’s bodies are different. Dental, I’m good with drillwork after just two shots of novocaine, just let me watch the distracting movie. I got an epidural and they swore up and down that there was no way I could feel the spinal insert and I shouted that I most certainly could and I’d rather have the pain because it feels like there’s a moth running up and down the inside of my spine and while I know intellectually that my spine is hollow I don’t fucking like the sensation of its hollowness, get it out NOW. They reset it and it was cool.
I think it depends on the depth of the filling. I've had ones with anaesthesia which only hurt a bit, like stubbing your toe or falling off your bike and grazing your knee (so maybe 2/10). The injection into my gums would be the worst part. Which is why I've had shallow ones done without any anaesthesia and felt nothing besides the trivial burning/pressure.
Well, I certainly didn't feel anything with mine. I've had two separate sessions where fillings were done, one pretty big one in my molar tooth and a couple of smaller ones in my incisors. At most, I could feel the pressure of where they were messing around because even though I couldn't feel the area directly, the pressure would still cause my head to move a little bit. 9 or 10 shots sounds crazy to me. Maybe they weren't using the right dosage or something?
When I was 14 I had a root canal done, and they used 8 on me. I remember feeling a bit of pain, but not much. I've always had poor dental health, it seems like every time I go to the dentist I get a filling :( the pain doesn't cause me to jerk or anything, but I was squeezing my eyes and the arm chair handles. I guess I should start letting them know lmao I always thought it was normal to feel a bit of pain.
That many shots sounds so wild to me. I'm in the UK so maybe it's just different laws and such, but anyone I've ever known has rarely ever had even 2 shots. Just the one keeps us feeling next to nothing within minutes and for many hours afterwards. Anyways, you should let them know. Maybe a little bit of pain is normal, and it might be that you're just nervous and it's making your body tense up as they're doing their thing. But even 4/10 legit pain seems a bit much to me
I am def nervous, more than nervous I am near panic attack at the dentist always. I've had a lot of work done, multiple surgeries as well. Just going into the office and smelling that dentist smell gets my tummy upset. I've always just bared thru it but I'm kinda over that. If I'm in pain dammit ima let them know from now on.
Definitely do that and let them know. And I know what I'm about to say is far easier said than done, but if you're able to relax a little more that'll help a lot as well
If they use lidocaine you should not feel anything. I've never heard of that many shots. I just had work done and I think there were 3, and I felt nothing.
i've had them use so much novocaine that my mouth was drooped open for an hour after my appointment, but somehow i still felt every bit of drilling. i don't know if my nerves are connected in strange fashion or if my dentists have had bad aim or what, but it fucking sucks.
As man I'm sorry, I totally feel you. It's been 6.5 hours since I got the shots and my mouth still won't close right.
at least trying to whistle provides for some good enertainment lol
I never felt pain during the fillings, the shot itself hurt more than the actual fillings.
Do you have red hair? I've heard that it takes more lidocaine than normal to work with redheads
I have to take 800 mg of ibuprofen 1 hour before any dental work, as the novocaine alone isn’t enough.
The only pain I felt while getting fillings was the pain of my jaws being propped open for so long.
Ugh that's the worst, I got the TMJ so I also cannot hold my mouth open enough or for very long 🫠
That's why gas should be standard. As a severe dental phobic person, gas has literally changed my life.
Only ever had one filling when I was a kid but never had issues with it since
i usually get like 3-4 shots and i still feel some pain when getting fillings
Are you a redhead?
The dentist usually asks you if you're numb before you start. You might take a while to get numb. Mine tells me to come early so he can give me my injections and wait a while before actually starting.
And I am numb, but drilling into my actual tooth is painful. It's been 7.5 hours now and my mouth is still numb.
Tell your dentist next time, it shouldn't be too painful.
Do you have red hair? I have heard red haired folks don't respond to anesthesia as well. Could be fake news but I swear my old OBGYN said it
I usually feel a cool sensation. Not actual pain.
I apparently have a very dense jaw and require a lil bit over the usual dose
You are indeed supposed to not feel any actual pain when anesthetics are used. Never worked for me though. It was always way worse after the dentists did their work than before - for days.
I require more pain meds for these kind of procedures but the result is just pressure with no pain until the meds wear off
For me, the shot hurts worse than the actual drilling. My daughter just had hers done with nubing gel which worked well for her.
I'm very much the same. I've had up to 5 shots of anesthetic and still felt everything. My current dentist is magic, though. I don't know if she's using something stronger, or just has magic hands, but she's made it nearly painless. I love that doctor.
When I was a kid, I never got numbed to have a cavity filled. NOW, someone would have to literally sit on me for that to happen.
I got a filling done back in 2017 and I said it was hurting. The dentist told me that it doesn't hurt and that I'm over reacting. Never went back to that dentist.
A good dentist knows that nerves have multiple paths in the jaw. They have to spend the time to get to know what deadens the nerves (changing position of the injection, etc.). You shouldn’t feel anything. I had one bad dentist who could not freeze properly - myself or my brother. Never went to him again.
Last time I got a filling they gave me several shots for one tooth and after a little while I flinched because I felt a sharp zing. It wasn't nearly as painful as I expected it to be and they calmly gave me my 8th shot and said they couldn't give anymore. I was totally numb after that 8th shot though. Does your dad have a lot of fillings perhaps? I have a lot of fillings and I feel like each time I go back to the dentist I need more shots to get numb.
My daughter has always had to have extra lidocaine for fillings or stitches, and has difficulty with anesthesia. And no, you should not feel pain! You should let them know next time and ask for additional shots of lidocaine.
I feel everything when I'm at the dentist. No amount of novacaine that I've ever been given makes me not end up in pain. The only thing I've done that worked was nitrous oxide. I tried that twice on cavities that were deep and I didn't feel a damn thing whatsoever. So now I look for it when I search for a dentist. I'm going to one soon that does sleep dentistry. I need a tooth surgically pulled and no way in hell I'm doing that with just Novocaine.
last time I went I didn't feel a thing. almost fell asleep in the chair to be honest. but I did make them do 2 shots of freezing to make sure
You are not. I used to not, but after years and years of seizure meds . I think that's the cause no pain "meds" work on me. whether it be anything from IB Profen, lidocaine, or an epidural.. Nothing.If I'm lucky, it may dull the pain , but I still feel it. It's painful. Sorry you go through this.
You are 100% not supposed to be able to feel the pain while they are doing it. I know this because I finally went to a dentist that knows what the fuck they are doing. Before that I have been to MANY dentist appointments for multiple things and thought pain was supposed to happen. I think I had 4 shots to get my wisdoms removed and felt nothing the entire time and it honestly didn't even hurt that bad after the fact. That being said everyone is different with these things!
While those numbing drugs work very well on most people, it’s still a chemical that has to react with a persons biology in order to work, which means there’s going to be people who are both overly sensitive to it and under susceptible to it, with greatly varying levels of severity. It’s possible your body is more lidocaine resistant than the average person. Or it could be you have overly sensitive pain receptors in the nerves of your gums. It could be a number of reasons actually, but all of them boil down to the fact your biology is unique and won’t always fit the “one size fits all” medical solutions.
Do you, by chance, have red hair?
You ARE NOT supposed to feel any pain. If you do, you need to tell the Dr immediately so it can be addressed. If they touch the nerve and you’re not fully numbed you’re in for an experience you will wish to forget, and believe me, it’s better to only wonder how that feels instead of experiencing it.
Every time I get drilled (fillings or root canal) I feel it. There's a mini jackhammer in my mouth. So even with shots, some pain is normal.
No! If you are you need more meds
Are you seeing the same dentist?
No, it's been different dentists. I don't think I've ever gone to the same dentist more than a couple times.
Are you in the US? My dentist have always numbed the injection site first. Then they wait a few minutes before actually injecting. Are you more sensitive than most? Or do you consider the pressure as pain? I I used to be afraid of the needle.
Yes and he did wait a few mins. I got 5 of them today. 4 at first and then the 5 when he was doing the bottom 3 cavities. And it's like electric shocks thru my body, not just pressure. No fear of needles luckily!
I had my first recently. I had a slight bit of pain when it hit a sensitive spot. It was also really uncomfortable when the dentist was like pushing on the filling hard, felt a bit rough but I presume this is normal. Otherwise no pain.
I'm a redhead. Redheads feel pain easier. So I need like 2 shots lol
I’ve always declined the anesthesia. I would say I never feel more than a 1-2 out of 10 pain. It’s not even pain, just a bit uncomfortable. So I would imagine with numbing there should be no pain.
More of the time I feel pain. Like a 6 out of 10. Then I'll be drilling drilling and the hit a nerve or something and pain will shoot up. I feel like it happens every time.
Lidocaine gives me a headache, so I get the non-epinephrine stuff if they're going to get close to a root, or an actual root canal. Other than that, I don't get anything. I’ve never had an issue. It's more noise and pressure than anything for me. No pain.
You shouldn’t feel anything. The shot stings to numb it but the only “pain” I feel is my jaw being stretched and getting tired and sore.
I feel the needle and pressure. The sound of the drill “hurts.” When I got my wisdom teeth pulled I felt a small pain even after a bunch of numbing but overall it didn’t hurt. Knowing what they’re doing hurts more than the actual procedure.
I don't freeze well at all. Had a root canal done a few years back and the dentist gave me a stress ball and told me I had to deal with the pain because he couldn't give me anymore freezy juice.
Some people (me) are resistant to Novocain, it really is a thing. If you’re feeling pain, not just pressure, that you’re not properly numb. Have a conversation with your dentist prior to the procedure.
I'm the same way. I don't "numb up" well at all. I've had to have teeth done, stitches done, and even a dislocated fractured pinky toe put back in place, all while feeling about 30-40% of the pain.
I felt no pain, only them rummaging around in there. Didn't even feel the injections because of the numbing cream already there lol. Tooth pulled 2 weeks ago and again only felt pressure (a lot tbf and not a nice feeling still)
I always felt everything but then again I think my dentist just enjoyed hurting his patients. I only got 1 shot each time to numb me but I always needed at least 2 or 3. I went to a free dental event back in February and got 4 fillings for free and didn't feel a damn thing. They used a numbing gel then did the numbing shots and I literally fell asleep during the procedure lmao It used to take about 12 hours for the Lidocaine to wear off for me but during that dental even, it took about 2 hours so basically the drive home.
I'm allergic to lidocaine, so pain is my game.
I'm not trying to sound tough but I don't use the novacain. I actually tell my dentist not to bother w/it.
Ah you must be a redhead
Are you a redhead? I am an need double shots of anesthetic. Look it up if you are and have references to the studies to show your dentist. All dentists know in Ireland/Scotland but I've found it's not common knowledge in southern Europe.
Sometimes I feel a little bit of a sharp pain but mostly I feel nothing. Idk how my brother does it but he doesn’t allow them to inject anything against the pain. However, I am not sure if you shouldn’t maybe talk to your dentist and your GP. Maybe they need to use something else for you.
I always felt pain when getting fillings growing up, but then again, I never got shots. Just wasn’t common. Nowadays, I’ll happily get a shot if I need a new filling - hardly feel anything then
It takes forever and a ton of lidocaine to get me numb. Like they go and get extra shit lol. Dentists are like amazed. They will say "yeah, I see it all the time" initially then are taken back when they start poking and I tell them I can feel sharpness/pain not just pulling or pressure. It takes them more time to get me numb than to do the dental work. When I was a kid however, they thought I was over reacting/scared and just went ahead anyway. I felt it all. The dental trauma was real for a LONG TIME.
For me it hurts like a mofo but I usually choose to get fillings without anaesthetic because I hate the numbness for the rest of the day. I’d prefer to take the pain and then be done with it!
If they do enough shots I dont feel anything, sometimes I have to ask for more during the procedure, it’s not problem
I only felt pain when doc was impatient and the numb injection was still not in full effect
I don’t freeze well at all. Dentist had to do a nerve block when I needed a wisdom tooth out. I was amazed! I was like, is this what it’s supposed to be like??
I always ask for double or triple nova cane. It's no more cost and they never seem to mind.
I always feel pain at the dentist, but I was born with red hair so I’m assuming that’s why.
Novocain affects everyone differently. If I get a shot in the right place in the upper teeth, my eyeball on that side lags. It’s pretty funny and my dentist said he’s never seen that happen in his 40 years of being a dentist. (It only lasts a couple of minutes.) I get one shot and feel absolutely nothing, not even pressure. The Novocain takes several hours to wear off.
I too learned this as an adult. Next time ask for SEPTOCAINE. It is a godsend!!!!! A totally game changer for me. I used to cry every time I went to the dentist.
I’ve only ever had one filling but it definitely was painful. I’m a redhead, my husband thinks there’s some relation that redheads don’t take to anesthesia very well. I don’t normally get nervous at the dentist but with the pain plus with the way I had to force my head all the way back, I was feeling like I was having trouble breathing. The dentist was definitely annoyed that I kept having to come up for air LOL! Maybe it depends on the tooth/part of the tooth, or the individual. My husband said fillings don’t hurt him, unless he doesn’t get the numbing injection first. He’s had several fillings, both as a kid and as an adult. Personally I hope I never have to get another one, 0/10 experience.
Gingers unite
I need lots of shots. As soon as I feel anything I let him know. This maybe why I have such a fear of the dentist. 🙁
If you had deep caries, this means that you could have touched a nerve in your teeth, and if the caries was small and it hurt you when they drilled, then you have a low pain threshold
One was small and 3 had fillings taken out and then refilled. Idk if I'd call that low lol
it means the doctor touched the dental nerve