Frequently Asked Questions

I went today to have 2 teeth filled and he had to inject the novocaine 4 times because I could feel him drilling my tooth--not pressure, but sharp pain. He tried several times but I couldn't take it. My whole mouth, lips, and tongue were numb, but he would hit the right spot on my tooth and it would send me through the ceiling! He ended up just putting temporary fillings in and said I have to reschedule. I don't know if I can do that again....why could I feel it? Next time he is going to use laughing gas on me, but I dont see how that will make me not feel pain? Is that normal, what should I do?

Sometimes, try as we may, a tooth will just not respond to anesthetic. There are a couple of things to consider. General anesthetic can always be used in extreme cases, but is costly and has certain risks. At times, I have injected the opposite side of the mouth and found that the person's nerves were irregular and somehow the feeling came from the opposite side (especially if the tooth is close to the center of your mouth).

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