Would you get a cavity filled without anaesthetic?

[jld]

I just found out I have a cavity on the side of my back molar, near the gum line. The dentist here in India told me they don't usually use anaesthetic for fillings, but that if we started and it hurt, he could give me a shot. He said he doesn't use a numbing gel before he gives the shot.

 

I'm pretty nervous about all of this. I'm wondering if I should insist on the anaesthetic, even without the numbing gel.

 

Has anyone had a gumline cavity filled on a molar without anesthetic? Was it as bad as I'm imagining it will be? What would you do?

[Sputterduck]

Sounds like a good time for a vacation to the US...

[TravelingChris]

I used to have to. NOvacaine and a few of the others do not work on me. I would just get the shots with a lot of pain and no pain relief. I would focus on something else like dots on the ceiling.

 

Nowadays I do get shots of carbocaine before a filling. THat one does work on me and I like that a lot better.

[jld]

I know. I was thinking about that, but I feel silly going back just for a cavity.

 

I'm trying to be optimistic, but I just can't wrap my head around a filling without anaesthetic, kwim?

[MelanieM]

I had an issue with anaesthetic a couple of years ago, and my new dentist suggested we deal with a cavity I have in the exact same way that yours is suggesting. She said the pain usually comes from a nerve being exposed, and so if the drilling doesn't have to go that far it is a non-issue. She said she could always stop and try the anaesthetic if it got uncomfortable.

 

My husband used to have his cavities down without anaesthetic when he was only a child. He said that was standard, and he didn't even know any better until another kid mentioned the worst part of the dentist being the needles. "Needles? What needles?"

 

My 7 yo had her first filling last year without any anaesthetic. She didn't bat an eyelash at it, and there was no pain.

 

So, all that to say... maybe it's not such a big deal, and it only sounds that way because it's not what you're used to. (?)

[Blessedfamily]

I had to have one done w/out because for some reason the anesthetic didn't work. My anxiety was great, but the actual pain was mild.

[milovany]

I just got two fillings a month ago without any anesthetic. I was amazed to hear it could be done, but now I'm living proof. And I have the same memories from childhood -- it was the novacaine needle that was the WORST part of a filling! I was a bit nervous going into it but the dentist worked slowly, didn't touch the nerve, etc. I asked why dentists use the anesthesia as a typical matter of course if it's not needed and she said something along the lines of sometimes perhaps it makes them think they don't have to be as careful when the patient is numbed up, and that it does take more time to work more slowly.

Edited January 30, 2010 by milovaný

[Carrie12345]

*I* would not, because I have major dental phobias.

 

My 6 and 7yo dds, otoh, both had several cavities done without any anesthetic and no complaints. That leads me to believe most of it is in our minds. And my mind says "Numb me the heck up!!!"

[homeschoolally]

I had to have one done w/out because for some reason the anesthetic didn't work. My anxiety was great, but the actual pain was mild.

:iagree: I felt as if they were going to hit a nerve any second, so the anxiety was the worst part. The pain wasn't nearly as bad as the anxiety. The experience wasn't as bad as I expected.

[Mynyel]

I just found out I have a cavity on the side of my back molar, near the gum line. The dentist here in India told me they don't usually use anaesthetic for fillings, but that if we started and it hurt, he could give me a shot. He said he doesn't use a numbing gel before he gives the shot.

 

I'm pretty nervous about all of this. I'm wondering if I should insist on the anaesthetic, even without the numbing gel.

 

Has anyone had a gumline cavity filled on a molar without anesthetic? Was it as bad as I'm imagining it will be? What would you do?

 

 

I am a big baby...you wouldn't think I had three kids (with no epidural, getting an epidural scared me more than labor! Although I did have morphine with one and demerol with one and the last one there wasn't time for drugs...he wanted out too fast! :001_smile:). BUT I wouldn't get it without. I had filling when I was a kid and the dr always gave me novocaine. Had to have 2 shots worth because of tolerence to the drug but I did it!

 

Gads my jaw is clenching and my teeth are grinding thinking about it! Give me the heebs!

[Nicole M]

When my son was about 5, he had three filled without anesthetic. They were very shallow. I think it was more traumatic for me, because he was lying on my body (and he was completely relaxed!) with his head on my chest. I could feel his skull vibrating like heck on my sternum (I think that's the right word) and that was distressing!

 

I really think it depends on how deep the cavity is.

[lllll]

..

[WiseOwlKnits]

I didn't have a cavity, but a natural hole in a tooth that the dentist wanted to fill so it didn't become a cavity. We did and he didn't use anesthetic. I didn't feel anything! That's the only filling I have of any sort <touch wood> so that's my only filling experience and it was painless.

[kalanamak]

 

Has anyone had a gumline cavity filled on a molar without anesthetic? Was it as bad as I'm imagining it will be? What would you do?

 

I'm not a dentist, but I work with a lot of meth mouth

http://images.google.com/images?q=meth%20mouth&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

 

and our dentists do most fillings with only a topical swab, not a "local shot" and absolutely no general. Since the patients are bipolar, antisocial, and/or schizophrenic, they aren't the stoical type. I say go for it, if you trust your dentist.

[lllll]

..

[snickelfritz]

I won't go into my long detailed story.

 

However, if people are talking about children and baby teeth....I thought baby teeth weren't as connected and therefore not as painful to get filled? As in, it would be more common for a child with baby teeth to not use anesthesia?

[snickelfritz]

Ick. What exactly is meth mouth?

 

 

I assume she's talking about people who abuse methamphetamine.

 

They are known for having horrible, horrible mouth conditions....missing teeth...etc....

[SeekingSimplicity]

I've had them done without the shot. It was no deal.... it really didn't feel that much different that with the shot.

[kalanamak]

Ick. What exactly is meth mouth?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meth_mouth

 

and one of the banes of my existence.

[Jean in Newcastle]

When I had a tooth filled in Japan, it was done without anesthetic. It did not hurt.

[Lawana]

I have had many cavaties filled with no anesthetic, including a gumline molar one. On a scale of 1-10, the worst pain or discomfort has been a 3 or 4, but mostly a 1 or 2. There is always a possibility of hitting a nerve, although even with deadening, that can still be felt.

The factors that help psychologically are 1) knowing that as soon as the drilling stops, the pain stops, so it is very temporary and 2) the element of control: knowing that if it gets bad, you can ask for deadening.

I had one dentist that disliked filling without Novacaine, because more saliva is produced when you can feel what is going on. And also, my tongue would get kind of jumpy, making it a little more difficult to work around, I suppose, when the dentist is used to everyone deadened, not producing extra saliva, and having still tongues. Other dentists have not complained about my desire to go drug free, though they are usually surprised.

Mostly, I think, it is a cultural expectation. We Americans think fillings and deadening automatically go together, without considering that most fillings can be filled with very minor discomfort. For comparison, my sister-in-law delivered a baby in Japan, where there is a cultural expectation of childbirth without pain medication. Her labor was induced with Pitocin, because her baby had water on the brain, and at 35 weeks gestation, the head was the size of a 1 month old. She labored for more than 24 hours, including pushing for 5 hours, but pain meds or epidural were not an option. (Here in the States, they would just have done a C-section). But the point being, she was just supposed to deal with the pain.

I think you can successfully do the filling by preparing for some discomfort, the actual intesity probably being less than an injection of Novacaine, but realizing it will be quite temporary, and that if, for some reason it gets bad, "crying uncle."

[EKS]

I had a shallow pit filled without anesthetic. The dentist said it wouldn't hurt because it wasn't very deep. It did hurt.

[mominbc]

It does depend how deep it is, but the problem is that you sometimes don't know until you start drilling. I had quite a bit of work done a few years ago and the anesthetic was wearing off before they finished, I never want to go through that again. With nerves, its a wierd pain and hard to describe.

So, it depends on how deep and also your pain tolerance.

[Georgiana Daniels]

Last year I had a smaller filling done without anything. Mostly I think it's the sound of the drill that makes a lot of people squeamy (just my opinion.) It turned out not to be a big deal.

[dtsmamtj]

I am the biggest psycological mess when it comes to going to the dentist (I enjoy giving birth better). Bring on whatever pain meds they will give me. :hurray: My hat is off to anyone who can deal with dentistry w/o pain meds. :hurray:

 

 

T

[TXMomof4]

My 6 yo daughter just had 2 cavities filled without anesthetic yesterday. I told them if she so much as flinched to stop and we would go to a dentist that would use sedative AND anesthetic but she didn't even whimper. She said the only part that hurt was when they squirted cold water in the hole to wash it out.

 

I am a little nauseous just thinking about this, but she didn't care at all.

[myfatherslily]

My mom gets cavities filled without anesthetic, by choice. She doesn't like being numb all day.

[Heather in Neverland]

No cotton-pickin' way. I get the "gas" and THEN novacaine for a filling. I have huge dental phobias. When we were in NC my ds needed a root canal and they would give him novacaine but no gas. So I flew him to Michigan where the dentists are not sadists. :D

[myfunnybunch]

Our dentist will look at a cavity and let me know if he thinks it can be filled without anesthetics. He has anesthetics available during the procedure if at any point I change my mind.

 

I've had minor cavities filled twice without pain meds of any kind. My criteria was, "Does it hurt more than getting a shot in the gums?" I was very very nervous, but he encouraged me to give it a try. I did experience some discomfort, but not so much I opted for the injection.

 

Hope that helps. :)

 

Cat

[snickelfritz]

No cotton-pickin' way. I get the "gas" and THEN novacaine for a filling. I have huge dental phobias. When we were in NC my ds needed a root canal and they would give him novacaine but no gas. So I flew him to Michigan where the dentists are not sadists.

 

 

I am so surprised at all of these people who say it didn't hurt. My phobia stems from a childhood dentist who didn't do a good enough job numbing me. I didn't go into it thinking it should hurt, but I came out of it knowing that it would. My current dentist has learned that if there is even a CHANCE that it will hurt...he just needs to gas me and numb me. I get all twitchy and gaggy and close to hyperventilating on him.

 

If I had a way to have someone drive me to and from my appointments, I'd actually go for the conscious sedation. It seems like my phobia is getting worse, so it may come to that.

[Impish]

No way on this God's green earth.

 

I don't numb well to start with. I'm trying to find someone that will knock my butt OUT for the dental work I need, never mind going without anything. :svengo:

 

Seriously, I'm looking to get knocked out...largely to do with my RSD, and the havoc that creates...I'd be in screaming agony in the waiting room, due to my phobias regarding dentists/dental work and the stress = pain equation that comes with RSD, never mind the actual being leaned against/over/bumped, blah blah blah.

[Amber in AUS]

I have never had an anesthetic and have had several of my molars filled (genetic defect!). The last one was uncomfortable because it was on the backside of my last tooth so it was hard to get to but it wasn't the pain factor, just it's position IYKWIM.

[orangearrow]

Oh my goodness. No. NoNoNonononononooooo. Not a chance. {{shiver}} Just the thought.... ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

 

(I have a phobia of dentists, though... if I could get numbed up before walking in the door, I'd choose that option. lol)

[jld]

Thanks, everybody. I was up 'til nearly midnight last night panicking about this. But dh told me he had a filling replaced here a few months ago without anaesthetic, and while it was somewhat painful, it was manageable. He said they didn't offer him anything, and he just didn't think to ask.

 

I think whoever said I just won't know if I can handle it until the dentist starts drilling is right. Yikes.

[smrtmama]

I just found out I have a cavity on the side of my back molar, near the gum line. The dentist here in India told me they don't usually use anaesthetic for fillings, but that if we started and it hurt, he could give me a shot. He said he doesn't use a numbing gel before he gives the shot.

 

I'm pretty nervous about all of this. I'm wondering if I should insist on the anaesthetic, even without the numbing gel.

 

Has anyone had a gumline cavity filled on a molar without anesthetic? Was it as bad as I'm imagining it will be? What would you do?

 

My father has a life-threatening allergy to -caine derivatives. He has his dental work, including root canals, done w/ not topical/injection anesthetic. He uses self-hypnosis and has actually fallen asleep during root canals -- they had to wake him up because he was snoring and they were afraid he'd aspirate something!

 

Can your dentist use the nitrous gas?

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I haven't but my son has. Ds was about 4yo when he required four fillings. After the first shots, for the first two cavities, he was scared of the needle. The dentist explained that the shot hurt worse than the filling would hurt without the shot, so ds chose to go without the shot. He was fine with it.

 

As long as the cavity is small, and is in the enamel, it isn't a problem. There are no nerves in the enamel. If they have to drill into the dentin, OTOH, you will want anesthetic.

[jenn-]

I haven't had Novocaine for a filling since I was 14 (so nearly 17 yrs). I have had everything from a surface filling to a filling that had to be removed, redrilled, and refilled as I had gotten a cavity under the filling. That one covers half my tooth. Take some Aleve about an hour before and a mp3 player to help you zone out the pain. You will be surprised how much you can endure if you focus on your breathing and staying in a "happy place".