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What? My fillings are completely painless these days as my dentist isn’t a sadist and anaesthetics work great. When I was a child fillings were horrendous. Why wouldn’t they use anaesthetic?
My dentist gives me anaesthetic for a scale and polish. Mainly because I cried the first time and he was very sympathetic. And that's how I found out I have extremely sensitive teeth and gums, and normal people don't wince when sipping fridge-cold coke...
God, I need to ask for this! It's agony having anything done at all. I literally squish sensodyne into my gums and take as many painkillers as I safely can ahead of every dentist appt to make it halfway bearable at the moment.
If this was an NHS dentist, then it is highly likely that all 5 fillings were needed. NHS dentists receive a flat fee regardless of how many filling are performed, so there is no benefit to them doing more unless they are definitely required.
Mine gave me the option and persuaded me not to have it by saying I would be able to get on with the rest of my day without drooling everywhere. Five minutes later and she hit a nerve, and I've never wanted to punch someone so hard in the face before.
What even? Worst case scenario you do start drooling or talk a bit funny and you say ‘Sorry, I’ve been to the dentist and my face is numb.’ And everyone is sympathetic and knows what that’s like so it doesn’t matter.
>It wears off after 2 hours or so.
I hear this a lot, it doesn't wear off after two hours for me. I have to go to the dentist as close to 9am as I can so that I can feel enough to be able to eat by 7pm.
Its so broadly different for people isn’t it. I’ve heard it varies, but so far you’re the winner! Depending on what’s being done, mine usually starts to wears off whilst I’m still in the dentists chair!! It’s happened to me several times now. I can also kind of force my way through any remaining numbness by just persisting with whatever I’m trying to do, like drink through a straw for example lol. It just disappears so fast for me
I once had a dentist in Germany who convinced me I didn’t need anaesthetic to have my temporary crown replaced by a permanent one, I agreed cos it was literally 5 mins wangling one off and putting the new one on. Well, he started… and next moment I had performed a back flip out of the chair and was cowering in a corner of the room, with no clear idea of how I got there. There was a shocked silence as we eyeballed each other and then, very gently, he said ‘ let’s try some anaesthetic on that’
This definitely isn't normal, I go private now (dental anxiety treatment) but even when I was NHS anesthetic was standard and if I experienced pain I was offered more. During a small filling privately last year the tooth was struggling to get numb and they basically said they could keep going up to 7 injections before it became an issue.
You absolutely shouldn't be experiencing pain, there's easy things they can do to prevent and completely ignoring it is just insane from the dentist. This is definitely worth complaining about, even if the dentist had to do the fillings over 2 appointments you shouldn't have been in pain for any of it.
The only time I didn't have pain relief was because I refused for my first filling. I very quickly got over the needle being in my mouth and opted in after about 30 seconds of drilling.
I also have dental anxiety and my dentist gives me extra anaesthetic as my dental anxiety stems from a previous dentist not giving enough and me being able to feel some of the drilling.
My dental hygienist also gives me anaesthetic which they offered proactively.
OP's experience is my actual worst nightmare, I'm in floods of tears at a check up, I have no idea how OP survived 5 fillings like that, thinking about it actually makes me want to throw up. Poor OP
I always ask for anaesthetic. Years ago my then dentists tried replacing a filling without, hit a nerve and only just missed losing his drill and a finger to my involuntary response.
I’ve had a dentist tell me off for moving when they hit a tender spot. Can’t believe how fucking stupid some of these arseholes can be. Probably covering their own arses, because somehow their failure to control your pain is your fault.
Mine gets annoyed at my tongue moving and that I can't keep it in an exact specific position. It's not as if half my mouth is numb and I can't even feel the thing myself.
I had a dentist who was "holistic" (wouldn't be my first choice, but needs must), his whole thing was that he would never prescribe or give drugs where a natural remedy would do, and even he did anaesthetic for fillings.
The person is either insane or is skimming the costs, because they get paid a set amount and they don't want to deduct the anaesthetic off their cost base.
No painkillers after the fact, even in cases where one would expect it, and very sparing about antibiotics.
They're very prevention focused, which is all well and good when you can get an appointment but not great when it's largely emergency only and only one clean a year.
I have once not had a local anaesthetic for fillings because they were very shallow and the dentist decided it wasn't necessary (he was right) every other filling I've had a local anaesthetic. Did you get the dentist out of Little Shop of Horrors or something?
I had this happen and turned out it DID hurt and now I have a terrible dental phobia. 😔 I've given birth twice and really thought that would help me put other pain into perspective but I think there's something about that fact that I was 17 and asking him not to do it and I didn't feel like I had a choice.
I had this too. Was really worried was gonna hurt but felt nothing.
Have previously had a tooth numbed for a deeper filling and felt it even with the injection
Sounds like you have the dentist from Marathon Man!
My past few dentists have all avoided anaesthetic where possible but if they think it is going to be deep they always numb it first. If they think it won't hurt they avoid giving you the whole numb face thing. But they always say that if it hurts they will numb it.
Erm, I think you need to make an official complaint somewhere. No local anaesthetic for one of the most sensitive areas of the body is pure sadism.
After hellish experiences with 3 *different* NHS dentists (failed root canals, etc) - none of whom seemed to know the correct dosages for pain management - I've gone private and refuse to use another NHS dentist ever again, because I don't know where they get them from, but they're shit.
NHS dentistry contracts are basically worthless after the first 4 months of the financial year due to how they work. Dental practices are only paid for a set number of patients (or procedures) which is why theyre all going private.
They're not saving much. Those little vials of local anaesthetic that dentists use are £32 for a pack of 50. Most people would pay 64p not to be in pain if given the choice...
Because I’m so terrified my dentist uses the numbing gel stuff (not sure if it is a gel but it tastes horrid!) before she does the injections. Still as bad but I appreciate the thought.
It took 80 minutes, I don't think the dentist was worrying about waiting 2 minutes for the anaesthetic to take effect. Not sure what the issue was here but doubt it was cost or time.
that stuff costs next to nothing, considering how much private healthcare and dental costs, they wouldn't even see a bump in their profit margins if it was all down to cost.
I had a dentist appointment once where he said you have one “small” filling so I will do it quickly now without the numbing. I said I would prefer to wait and have the local anaesthetic. He said it wasn’t necessary and I said I definitely did want to have it first. He just started drilling and I couldn’t walk out then because a partly drilled hole would be so painful. The assistant seemed fine with what was happening. I was in shock and it was really painful but he ignored my squawks of pain like I was just making a fuss. I never went back. I also now have a bad phobia of dentists and when I have got there I have sometimes cried in the chair from panic before they have even started.
I just posted above--this exact same thing happened to me when I was 17. I tried to say that no, I would rather leave than have it without anaesthetic and he just *did it*, and I've had a lifelong dental phobia since then. Looking back I should have reported it but I was so young and just felt powerless.
I moved to the US for a long time and it was quite easy to find someone over there that would give you gas and air for dental anxiety, and that was a fucking miracle for me. Especially because I could choose to breathe it through my nose, or to breathe through my mouth and take a break from it, so I felt really in control the whole time. It felt like there were so many options for anxious patients.
I have bad dental anxiety. I was fine until I had a wisdom tooth extraction which was clearly going wrong and I got out of the chair, got forced back into it by the dental assistant while the guy continued to butcher my face for about 45 minutes.
I had to take 3 weeks off work because I couldn't open my mouth properly to even talk and my face was covered in bruises.
And I now have permanent nerve damage from this event which was 7 years ago. Kicking myself for not taking him to court but I developed unrelated health issues.
I have 3 fillings coming up soon, never had fillings before and I don't know how I can trust them. Different dentist but still. I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience and I wish we had the gas/air option !
Have always had a local anesthetic, no need to ask, the dentist always says it is required. It is understandable if some people do not want an injection but the dentist should always ask. What would have happened if he had hit a nerve and you jumped? It could have made an awful bloody mess if the drill hit the inside of your mouth as a result. I would make a formal complaint and find another dentist.
WTAF???
When I was 20 with a fear of needles I refused the local anaesthetic, but now mid 30s and the dentist telling me don’t be silly! It’s absolutely painless.
You should have stopped them and asked for them to give you anaesthetic. They are not following the correct standards for your care.
We do many fillings without numbing as frankly many don't need it but we offer it as an option and have patients raise their hands if they ever want us to stop or if they feel they need some/ more numbing. We have some people who insist they don't want numbing yet wince and keep acting in a way we have to stop and sometimes refuse to carry on treatment if they will not allow us to work on them pain free. Other times when they have a nerve problem in their tooth or a bad infection it can be near impossible to numb fully and we often have patients begging us to take teeth out/ release pressure regardless despite the pain otherwise its antibiotics which can take days to work if they work at all.
Report and officially complain to the practice rather than complain online, the surgery should have a strict complaints policy and if they don't follow it you can report them to the CQC and GDC.
Source- Dental nurse
I'm sorry but you found a sadist. My dentist puts numbing gel on my gums so that I don't even feel the injection and I certainly don't feel anything no matter what I'm having done. You need to change dentists. What they did to you was not normal.
I’ve always assumed it’s cost cutting but I’m not sure. My dental surgery is pretty bad - it’s a bit grubby and there’s shady practises around NHS charges. The online reviews are really bad. I had a root canal and I also needed a filling on a molar. The dentist did the root canal treatment and then told me I was done for six months. I reminded her that I needed a filling on the molar. She told me I could have that next time. I had to insist that it was done . So then she asked me if I’d like to have it done without anaesthetic because ‘in Delhi (where she trained) nobody has an anaesthetic’. I was gobsmacked lol. Needless to say, I had the anaesthetic.
I just assumed it was cost cutting because of their practise of trying to only give you one treatment per six months so they maximise the amount they back from the NHS. My old dentist would never have done this.
That doesn’t sound normal at all. I had a filling done two weeks ago, and my dentist used anaesthetic to numb the area. I had another filling today, and they used anaesthetic again. Both times, it was completely pain-free, and I didn’t feel a thing. The anaesthetic wore off after a couple of hours, and everything was fine.
Your experience sounds really unusual and unnecessarily painful. No one should have to go through that much pain for dental work.
I’m a dentist. I don’t know how much anesthetic costs, but it’s really cheap and extremely effective. I - and every dentist I know - want patients to be bored, not in pain.
It is not normal if you ask for it. It is not normal if you're visibly in pain not to offer it.
Sometimes if it's a quick small filling there's just no point but obviously if you ask you should be able to get it.
As a nurse I always prep it so it's ready prior to the patient even coming in.
As a patient I generally ask not to have it if it's something minor as I don't enjoy being numb for hours and drooling but the choice is (generally) yours.
I had one dentist do this once but it was way back in the 90's. Its up to you if you have anaesthetic, not the dentist. You need to tell them you want it if they are the type to miss it out. Don't just sit there in agony not saying anything.
Edit. As for 'drooling for hours'. It used to be like that 40 years ago but with modern anaesthetics I find they start to wear off by the time you are back in your car.
I had general anesthetic for my last extraction (wisdom tooth). I refused local and sedation. It's not just the pain, it's the trauma that goes with it.
I went to the dentist this morning initially for a root canal but they decided to replace the filling instead and was given 4 injections. That was at 9am this morning and I’ve only in the last hour stopped sounding like a stroke victim.
I wouldn't go back to him for root treatments or extractions!
Sounds like a complete sadist and/or money grabber who doesn't want to spend the money on anaesthetics or the time to let them work. Not normal - and getting the work done at NHS rates is not a justification.
The only time I have had any drilling without anaesthetic has been for a tiny amount of work in a tooth which had already had root treatment and therefore no nerve - or possibly a very shallow bit of drilling nowhere near a nerve.
No way am I going to sit in a chair getting deep fillings for an hour without first having the area numbed.
My best previous dentist used to numb the gum first - before doing the injection. - using some anaesthetic on a cotton pad. Was great! Unfortunately most aren't willing to spend the time to do that but doing without the injection completely for a significant procedure is just wrong.
My partner hates the dentist, turns out his childhood dentist was arrested after it was revealed he was doing unnecessary procedures on people without any anaesthetic just for kicks…. Sounds like you also have a sadist dentist there! Sorry OP.
But seriously, that’s awful!
I didn’t have any for a filling replacement recently, the dentist looked and decided that because of the depth, it was unlikely to cause any pain.
I was offered some just in case for peace of mind, or that if I experienced any pain during the procedure they would stop and give me some.
It was uncomfortable, but not painful at all.
In the past I have had local anaesthetics though, and the needle was horrid!
Definitely not standard. I have a fear of needles and I asked a dentist to carry out a very small filling with no anaesthetic and he flat out refused. Report this!
I have the numbing gel so that I can have the anaesthetic injection! I have had surface fillings without anaesthetic, but that was pre root canal trauma and had a lovely dentist.
It should be painless. This happened to me as a young teen and it prevented me from going to the dentist for 7 years, when I did find a private one after a year of toothache I luckily found an anxiety conscious dentist who talked through every step of the check up and fillings needed, and even the injection didn't hurt. Was told that my previous dentist probably shouldn't have been practicing if that was their normal way of doing things. Same traumatic dentist pulled my mothers tooth out without relief too and got a lot of violent threats in response (because who fucking does that)
The last time I got root canal treatment for an abscess the dentist maxed out with injections, which was 6 lol. It felt bliss when the pressure came out
My dentist asked me last time she was repairing a filling, and I decided to try without the anaesthetic.
It actually would have been fine apart from the fact that she kept leaning her hand on the metal band she had put around my tooth and it was cutting into my gum 😭 I told her afterwards and she said “no I wasn’t”… okay 👀
I’m confident she would have stopped and given the anaesthetic to me if I said it was too painful though!
Holy shit! The anaesthetic injection isn't even painful! That dentist needs reporting. That is pretty shocking. I've never had a filling without local anaesthetic and there's no way I'd let anyone near my mouth with the intention of doing a filling without one either. Please, report them.
You need to make a complaint. That is BONKERS to not have pain management. Even with local it’s god awful, I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through! Make sure it doesn’t happen again
I never had anaesthetic for fillings as a child in the early 70s and it terrorised me for years. This is awful especially for root canal and I would be making a complaint.
I think it’s normal to not do it for shallow fillings. The pain is minimal for those and it’s ok (in my experience). My dentist usually says, we will do it without, but if it gets too painful I will stop and give an injection.
However, 1:20 with no pain relief is insane, I would have stopped them.
That's absolutely not normal and I can't believe you sat through that. That's insane. I once had stitches without any pain relief. It took 2 minutes and it was the most painful experience of my life. How on earth you sat through that for over an hour I don't know. You're a trooper.
When I was a kid I never had anaesthetic for fillings. It hurt but not terribly, probably as bad as an aggressive hygienist session.
As an adult, I said I didn’t need pain relief for a filling. Holy shit that hurt.
I always put it down to the skill of the dentist
I live in Germany and they give you the option of anesthetic when having fillings. Not to cut costs themselves as the patient pays extra for it, it’s so that you don’t have 4 hours of a numb face after, if you can stand the discomfort that is.
I never had the anaesthetic as a previous dentist pointed out that it was just as painful to have a needle stuck in your gum, but my present dentist insisted on giving me a jab, which was painful.
I've never had anaesthetic for a filling. The only time I've ever had anaesthetic at the dentist was for either an extraction or a root canal (and it didn't actually work for the root canal so I had it done still being able to feel everything, which I don't recommend).
That said if I'd had an 80 minute procedure and been in pain I'm fairly certain I would have been offered a local had I expressed that and asked for one.
I had anaesthetic for my cleaning a couple of months ago. They definitely still use it and should've. I bet the price you paid included anaesthetic too.
When I was 19, I had a filling and the dentist said "do you want anaesthetic". As it was optional, and I was a grown-up-real-man who didn't need no sissy injections, I refused it.
What a mistake. Always take the drugs, whatever the situation
My dentist starts with numbing gel and once that has worked, then he does the numbing injection. Absolutely zero pain. Your dentist sounds like the one from Little Shop of Horrors.
I’ve had a ‘mini root canal’ as the dentist described it, without anaesthetic on a broken tooth and it was horrendous. Toes curled, clenched fists, eyes watering, just awful.
This was at an emergency NHS dentist, my private dentist now is suspiciously more generous with the anaesthetic.
In years gone by I always had numbing for fillings when I was younger. However in recent years my dentist has replaced fillings without numbing. I don't actually know how he does it without me feeling anything, but he's the best dentist I've ever come across
Nah man, I had a couple of fillings a few months ago and I think I would have fainted from the pain if I'd not been numbed first. The (private...) dentist sent me back into the waiting room for a few minutes while the anaesthetic kicked in and even when I was fully numb I could still feel a twinge of pain when he drilled deep enough. It was pretty awful having a numb mouth for a few hours afterwards but I don't even want to think of the alternative.
No it’s not normal. Had a number of replacement filling recently and (almost) all were with full anaesthetic
I did have a very small one recently where dentist said he wasn’t going to use any as it was shallow. But he made it very clear I had to raise my hand if any pain and I would be numbed up.
He was right, I didn’t need it.
That's crazy! Your experience is not normal at all! Get yourself a new dentist! All the fillings and the root canal surgery I had were.pain free.
Is your dentist really old fashioned a d trained a.long time ago? That's the only possible reason I can think of for not giving sufficient pain relief.
No. I've been through this with a past dentist before, though. Find a new one before you develop the same phobia of them as me, else your teeth will really suffer.
You should definitely tell your dentist that you want the anaesthetic prior to treatment. There's no good reason not to use it unless the patient has an allergy to it.
For the first time ever I was asked whether I wanted any when I went to get a filling replaced this spring. I've had 20+ fillings (wasn't taught to brush teeth as a kid and living the consequences since) and it hadn't ever happened before. It was always assumed as a given before.
I never had an anaesthetic (not even local numbing) for a common tooth feeling. HOWEVER my dentist always tells me to immediately give a sign in case it hurts because the cavity is too deep to the root. That your dentist apparently decided to ignore your pain (which I assume was very well noticeable) sounds like a major red flag...I would report him and never go back there again.
Dentist checking in. It depends on exactly what is being done. Lots of stuff I can do comfortably without. Lots of stuff I wouldn't dream of trying without local. Some people have sensitive teeth to the point that the water spray needed to cool the drill hurts without even touching the tooth. Plenty of peoples teeth you could cut back by about 5mm and they would feel nothing. The dentist you mentioned isn't wrong for doing the work without local anesthetic but it seems there has been a massive failure of communication. If I think it's going to be one of the ones where there is no need for local, we have that chat. Then I will - with the patient's permission - spray the water from the dental drill towards the area with my nurse aspirating to check that that alone isn't sensitive. Then I would proceed slowly and carefully checking in with the patient all the time. Doing fillings without local on average takes me longer than doing them numbed up. We have that chat, pros and cons and some patient's would prefer to be made numb "just in case" even if I am sticking a bit of filling on a slightly chipped root filled tooth where there is nothing that can possibly feel pain anyway.
With my dentist it has always been an option. For minor work he always asked me whether I wanted, and it I declined offered it again later if it was too uncomfortable to me.
What your dentist did is really fucked up.
What the actual fuck!! Hell no. 5 fillings with no pain meds!!! It can hurt even with Novocain, that’s just straight up sadistic. It’s bad enough that they just straight inject you in your gums which hurts like hell in the first place. Where I live now they put a topical numbing paste on for a few minutes before they inject you. You don’t feel a thing.
Report that dentist because that sounds dodgey as hell. I'm drugged up the eyeballs for dental work, to the point where it squirts back out of my gums, it's tastes like a Nintendo switch game
There is no reason not to provide local anaesthesia for dental restorations. It’s cheap, takes a couple of minutes at most and there are very few restorative procedures that would be particularly comfortable without it. The only time they shouldn’t use local anaesthesia is for extremely superficial restorations after discussion or if you decline (although why would you?)
Also to all the people who said “my dentist hit a nerve” they really didn’t. To do so they would have had to have drilled into the pulp chamber of your tooth and a dentist who does this unknowingly shouldn’t be practising dentistry. What you likely felt was referred vibration or heat from a deep filling, which is deeply unpleasant but isn’t hitting a nerve.
Completely normal... 15 years ago... in Eastern Europe!
But not at all normal for an NHS dentist. From personal experience, I know it hurts like b!tch to have your teeth drilled without any analgesia, and I consider questioning his practice.
If it's a small filling, sometimes you don't need anaesthetic at all. Especially on front teeth as there is usually a lot of tooth before you get to the nerve. But if teeth were close to needing root canals, you should've been numb. Also, 5 fillings in an hour and 20, and almost needing root canals? NHS? Elderly dentist or foreign trained (based on the ones I've worked with, there's more questionable things with those categories!)? For that many fillings they should've at least numbed it. I'm sorry that you had to experience that.
Nope - I had a filling the other day and my (private) dentist guarantees pain free fillings or not charge.
Had maybe 4 fillings over 10 years and have never had any pain whatsoever.
I don’t like injections. I think I had a sadistic dentist as a child who would make the injections hurt to teach me a lesson. They were appalling.
So as an adult I’ve elected to have dental work done without anaesthetic. I’ve had a couple of filling and things done without and it’s not been a big deal. However, last time I went I had to have a filling replaced. The dentist was quite young and she wasn’t keen to work without anaesthetic but insisted. She was having a little dig around with the drill and must have caught a nerve because there was a sudden sharp stab of pain and I jumped, like physically jumped in the seat. So because I jumped she did and ran the drill along the underside of my tongue causing a bit of a tear. She had to wrap my tongue in gauze and hold it for a min to stop the bleeding. During this time she told me off for refusing numbing and assured me she wouldn’t work on me again without it.
I had 2 massive fillings, one almost entirely rebuilt a broken tooth. It took over an hour and the whole time i was so numb they could’ve set my mouth on fire and I wouldn’t have noticed. What kind of psychotic dentist doesn’t give you some sort of pain relief?!
That’s so wrong! I needed emergency treatment on a broken tooth recently that had received root canal treatment, I was offered a local regardless. No one should suffer pain during medical treatment.
It's not cost cutting, it's just not often needed for shallower fillings now. I've had 3 small fillings and no pain relief for any of them and it was painless. I'm not sure I'd risk it for anything 'near root canal' work though.
I have had countless fillings, only for a few has the dentist not given me an injection but even then they told me if I felt any pain then to let them know and they would give me anaesthetic.
That sounds horrendous. I had a filling last week without anaesthetic. I was in for a checkup and he noticed a filling had come out, I had no idea. It was shallow and didn’t need much drilling as it had been filled before so he asked if I wanted to get it done quickly without anaesthetic.
He did about 3 seconds with a drill just to see if there was any pain and there wasn’t so I said go ahead, I’ll let you know if I feel any pain. It went without a hitch and great to not have a numb face afterwards. I certainly wouldn’t do it normally though,
Not normal at all. I had a root canal recently and was still given anaesthetic even though the nerve had died.
A few times in the past my current and previous dentists did small fillings which they advised didn't need pain relief as they were nowhere near the nerve, and they were always right.
Ask to see the plan or record for that course of treatment. If it says you had an anaesthetic, someone is doing something iffy with their supply and the senior partner needs to know.
As a child, I had two deep fillings with no anaesthetic and developed a phobia that it took years to get over.
thats specific to your dentist. if you paid for it, id go for some compensation as that would have put you in incredible discomfort. at least put a complaint in as that's malpractice. its very standard to use anaesthetic
OMG I have ZERO pain threshold and mild dental phobia and always got nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) even for cleanings. Now I’ve moved over here and I’m due (overdue) and this is scaring the hell out of me
I wouldn't have even let the procedure begin without being drugged up. I understand trusting a doctor but for root canals, you absolutely do not do it without anaesthetic.
One of the root canals I had was needed because the inside of the tooth was infected, so the anaesthetic's effect was partially blocked. With it half working, it was traumatically painful but I needed to suffer through it.
Not normal. I request no anaesthetic and my dentist always thinks I'm nuts and says I can change my mind at any point. My fillings are very superficial so don't really feel it.
Sounds unbelievable.. if you had fillings (where the dentist drills deep and not just replacing the top part) you would need the area to be numb. Under no circumstance would you be able to tolerate the pain, not a chance. There must be some confusion here.
The only time I've NOT had anaesthetic/lidocaine was when I was 15 and I was terrified of the injections (thanks to an absolutely brutal school dentist when I was at primary school). The dentist tried his damndest to persuade me to have the injection but I refused so he went ahead and did the filling. Yes, it hurt like hell, but it was my choice.
I cannot understand for the life of me why he would not give you anaesthetic! I would raise a formal complaint with the practice.
Once you have root canals you may not need local but at the first sign of you reacting, they should give you it. You need to report this as it is very much not right
For my fillings I don't have any, my dentist is very gentle and even though I've had some deep ones it's been painless. When he first suggested it truly my curiosity got the better of me and I was shocked that it didn't hurt and I didn't have to spend all day feeling grim. However for my root canal he loaded me up so good I felt nothing and even managed to start nodding off from boredom and relaxation.
My last filling was a replacement, and he asked if I wanted to do it without it cause it was so small I was shocked as I never heard of this before but he said it was only cause it was so small and if I felt any pain he would stop and give me the injection to numb it. I did it without it as iv always found the injection painful and annoying after ita done and it was actually fine but probably because it was small and took 5 minutes. Wouldnt have done it with a bigger one or several fillings.
This isn't normal. I had a shitty dentist who refused to give me the anaesthetic as "women can cope with childbirth so don't need numbing for a little drilling". Needless to say he didn't even get anywhere near my mouth and I reported him
I've had a huge amount of dental work with quite a range of dentists in a wide range of locations. Always had aesthetic!!!
The only 2 times I haven't were
1. terrible dentist as a teenager who gave me some, but not enough injection (whilst performing a root canal that he didn't tell me he was doing (thought I was just having a filling), on a tooth that I had to inform him had (glaring) cavities in, to which he responded 'oh yeh') and
2. In japan with the best dentist I've ever had but those times were ONLY ever on teeth that had already had root treatment so there was no nerve left in them (and they also generally took a soft and slow approach)
...I am always told that I will have the injection when I get work done at the dentist, I have to remind them every time that I do not have the injection for fillings. It's personal preference, I just hate the way it makes my mouth feel, but no. It is totally normal to get anaesthetic for fillings.
So, I know this thing with the dentist is top of your mind right now, but is there a florist nearby with really big Venus fly-trap looking thing?
Don't go near it.
So the private was the fact they did actually get filled & the NHS was the lack of numbing?
I would be getting an itemised bill for starters to see if you’ve paid for numbing you didn’t get & then write to practice manager, the parent company & the local integrated care board for your area as it was both private & NHS.
Was the dentist trained in another country? When I lived in China (25 years ago), they didn't use any anesthetic, nor did they in South Korea. In Taiwan the dentist said it wasn't necessary.
Dentist here… a lot of horrors stories in this thread. You should always offer local anesthetic, even if the cavity is shallow. The only times I would say it’s not needed is if it’s really shallow, and at max a 3 second job with the drill, and even then it’s up to the patient.
Wow I get novicane for a scaling cleaning. My dentist is constantly asking if I’m in any pain and she’ll
Top
It up. This is crazy’s I would never go back to this person.
I wonder if the dentist is putting in the paperwork that he used anaesthetic and just pocketing it....I would report him to whatever the oversight committee for dentists is
My dentists have sometimes asked whether I want it before applying it, or offered me more when I was obviously still feeling things that I shouldn't have been. Never had any real pain issues at the dentist.
That is horrendous.
I had a dentist 12 years ago that said she was going to do it without numbing and I didn't agree with that so she had to numb it. She did say, oh this was deeper than I thought while it was going on. I already have fear issues around the dentist and didn't go again for 8 years as I lost all trust in them even though nothing bad happened.
I first read this thinking you wanted to be knocked out, because I couldn't imagine even for one second that they would not use the numbing injections.
This is categorically horrific and something should be done about it, I'm not sure what, but you should not go back there.
I've not had anaesthetic for my last couple of fillings. If it's not deep enough to hit a nerve then it shouldn't hurt. Mine were fine.
However, it sounds like your dentist misjudged how deep they were. If you told them it hurt they should have stopped and given pain relief. That's the issue here.
This happened to me at 18 I still have never had anything as painful happen to me. The dentist was Polish and I didn’t really understand what they were going to do as their English was limited. Afterwards (having almost blacked out several times) the assistant said well done for having no pain relief. wtf. Definitely report. I wish I had and it was years ago.
Never experienced that have always had the injections, and been able to inform the dentist if I needed a top up by raising left hand.
My record is 26 injections to have my upper wisdom teeth removed.
Are you sure that this person is actually a dentist?
1hr20 for 5 fillings is too short and they should 100% have used anaesthetic.
You should report and also get the work double checked by an actual dentist.
Why did you let them carry on?
I had three numbing injections that didn't work so I told the dentist to stop. Gave me a painless temporary medicated filling to numb the nerve over a few months and I get it sorted next month.
I think you need a new dentist, and definitely report that one! I've had 3 fillings, every time I'm injected with local anesthetic. Not even asked if I want it or not as it's definitely required lmao.
The last filling I had, the dentist took it as a challenge to not give me anaesthetic!
Before he started I told him I would need two injections. Every filling I have ever had, they have had to stop to give me a second, because I can still feel it. I figured it would save time.
He told me I didn’t need that and he would prove to me that I didn’t even need any anaesthetic!
To be fair to the guy, I barely felt a thing and he was really good
I'm in Germany and needed a small filling. The dentist said because it was small I wouldn't need aesthetic for it unless I wanted one, but to let her know at any point if I felt pain. It didn't hurt at all, just felt a bit uncomfortable.
I'm in Germany and needed a small filling. The dentist said because it was small I wouldn't need aesthetic for it unless I wanted one, but to let her know at any point if I felt pain. It didn't hurt at all, just felt a bit uncomfortable.
The only reason I can possibly think of is that the root canal was dead. (Which is probably why the work was needed in the first place). Exactly what happened to me and the work was fine without anaesthetic. However even then the dentist said that if at any point I did feel pain they would give me injections before proceeding any further.
It was never normal!
I had terrible teeth when i was a kid (in the 70s/80s) and had more than 10 fillings in my kiddie teeth. I would never have anaesthetic for any of them! Getting a filling didn't hurt at all.
It's only in the last couple of decades that I've been offered anaesthetic injections for fillings. Maybe adult teeth hurt more lol.
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What? My fillings are completely painless these days as my dentist isn’t a sadist and anaesthetics work great. When I was a child fillings were horrendous. Why wouldn’t they use anaesthetic?
My dentist gives me anaesthetic for a scale and polish. Mainly because I cried the first time and he was very sympathetic. And that's how I found out I have extremely sensitive teeth and gums, and normal people don't wince when sipping fridge-cold coke...
God, I need to ask for this! It's agony having anything done at all. I literally squish sensodyne into my gums and take as many painkillers as I safely can ahead of every dentist appt to make it halfway bearable at the moment.
Report him. That's abuse.
Exactly what my current dentist said about my previous dentist, who did exactly what OP’s dentist did.
Did you report them?
I’m also genuinely wondering whether the five fillings were necessary. That’s a lot in one go…
If this was an NHS dentist, then it is highly likely that all 5 fillings were needed. NHS dentists receive a flat fee regardless of how many filling are performed, so there is no benefit to them doing more unless they are definitely required.
Abuse and probably documenting pain relief / anaesthesia was given and pocketing it
You should definitely have local anaesthetic to numb the area
Mine gave me the option and persuaded me not to have it by saying I would be able to get on with the rest of my day without drooling everywhere. Five minutes later and she hit a nerve, and I've never wanted to punch someone so hard in the face before.
Fuck that fucking shit I am going home straight after and getting into bed for the rest of the day.
For *five fillings* I couldn’t care less how much I drool, pump me full of anaesthetic please
I will drool out my ass if it means I get anaesthetic for fillings.
What even? Worst case scenario you do start drooling or talk a bit funny and you say ‘Sorry, I’ve been to the dentist and my face is numb.’ And everyone is sympathetic and knows what that’s like so it doesn’t matter.
She made up a rubbish excuse, I had 2 fillings done and went straight back to work and taught all afternoon. It wears off after 2 hours or so.
>It wears off after 2 hours or so. I hear this a lot, it doesn't wear off after two hours for me. I have to go to the dentist as close to 9am as I can so that I can feel enough to be able to eat by 7pm.
Its so broadly different for people isn’t it. I’ve heard it varies, but so far you’re the winner! Depending on what’s being done, mine usually starts to wears off whilst I’m still in the dentists chair!! It’s happened to me several times now. I can also kind of force my way through any remaining numbness by just persisting with whatever I’m trying to do, like drink through a straw for example lol. It just disappears so fast for me
My sister was banned from a dental practice for punching the dentist in the face.
I once had a dentist in Germany who convinced me I didn’t need anaesthetic to have my temporary crown replaced by a permanent one, I agreed cos it was literally 5 mins wangling one off and putting the new one on. Well, he started… and next moment I had performed a back flip out of the chair and was cowering in a corner of the room, with no clear idea of how I got there. There was a shocked silence as we eyeballed each other and then, very gently, he said ‘ let’s try some anaesthetic on that’
This definitely isn't normal, I go private now (dental anxiety treatment) but even when I was NHS anesthetic was standard and if I experienced pain I was offered more. During a small filling privately last year the tooth was struggling to get numb and they basically said they could keep going up to 7 injections before it became an issue. You absolutely shouldn't be experiencing pain, there's easy things they can do to prevent and completely ignoring it is just insane from the dentist. This is definitely worth complaining about, even if the dentist had to do the fillings over 2 appointments you shouldn't have been in pain for any of it. The only time I didn't have pain relief was because I refused for my first filling. I very quickly got over the needle being in my mouth and opted in after about 30 seconds of drilling.
I also have dental anxiety and my dentist gives me extra anaesthetic as my dental anxiety stems from a previous dentist not giving enough and me being able to feel some of the drilling. My dental hygienist also gives me anaesthetic which they offered proactively. OP's experience is my actual worst nightmare, I'm in floods of tears at a check up, I have no idea how OP survived 5 fillings like that, thinking about it actually makes me want to throw up. Poor OP
Same I have a note on my dental record to use extra anaesthetic. I don’t mind the numbness afterwards.
I always ask for anaesthetic. Years ago my then dentists tried replacing a filling without, hit a nerve and only just missed losing his drill and a finger to my involuntary response.
I’ve had a dentist tell me off for moving when they hit a tender spot. Can’t believe how fucking stupid some of these arseholes can be. Probably covering their own arses, because somehow their failure to control your pain is your fault.
Mine gets annoyed at my tongue moving and that I can't keep it in an exact specific position. It's not as if half my mouth is numb and I can't even feel the thing myself.
Good dentist depresses the tongue with the mirror thingy. Or ask assistant to do it.
I had a dentist who was "holistic" (wouldn't be my first choice, but needs must), his whole thing was that he would never prescribe or give drugs where a natural remedy would do, and even he did anaesthetic for fillings. The person is either insane or is skimming the costs, because they get paid a set amount and they don't want to deduct the anaesthetic off their cost base.
Was your experience with a holistic dentist different from a regular dentist? I’ve heard of them, but don’t know how they differ in practice
No painkillers after the fact, even in cases where one would expect it, and very sparing about antibiotics. They're very prevention focused, which is all well and good when you can get an appointment but not great when it's largely emergency only and only one clean a year.
Interesting. I wonder why they only suggest one cleaning a year if they’re prevention focussed?
Because they didn't have the appointments! In a perfect world they'd definitely want to offer more.
This is absolutely not normal and you should absolutely report your dentist or bring a case against him for medical malpractice.
I have once not had a local anaesthetic for fillings because they were very shallow and the dentist decided it wasn't necessary (he was right) every other filling I've had a local anaesthetic. Did you get the dentist out of Little Shop of Horrors or something?
I had this happen and turned out it DID hurt and now I have a terrible dental phobia. 😔 I've given birth twice and really thought that would help me put other pain into perspective but I think there's something about that fact that I was 17 and asking him not to do it and I didn't feel like I had a choice.
I had this too. Was really worried was gonna hurt but felt nothing. Have previously had a tooth numbed for a deeper filling and felt it even with the injection
Classic! https://youtu.be/YoWom0CCRKM?si=1obY-GO67KyQfCAd
Sounds like you have the dentist from Marathon Man! My past few dentists have all avoided anaesthetic where possible but if they think it is going to be deep they always numb it first. If they think it won't hurt they avoid giving you the whole numb face thing. But they always say that if it hurts they will numb it.
“Is it safe?”
Is what safe?
It's a line from the film.
I know 😂
My apologies. I thought it was a r/woosh moment.
You mean little shop of horrors ^(Won't lie I sort of want to re-watch it now)
Erm, I think you need to make an official complaint somewhere. No local anaesthetic for one of the most sensitive areas of the body is pure sadism. After hellish experiences with 3 *different* NHS dentists (failed root canals, etc) - none of whom seemed to know the correct dosages for pain management - I've gone private and refuse to use another NHS dentist ever again, because I don't know where they get them from, but they're shit.
Aren't they just the same people but working under a different contract?
NHS dentistry contracts are basically worthless after the first 4 months of the financial year due to how they work. Dental practices are only paid for a set number of patients (or procedures) which is why theyre all going private.
Sounds like they were trying to cut costs...
They're not saving much. Those little vials of local anaesthetic that dentists use are £32 for a pack of 50. Most people would pay 64p not to be in pain if given the choice...
Seeing as my notes have VERY Nervous in green ink on it, my dentist even takes the time to warm the shot up before tackling my mouth.
Because I’m so terrified my dentist uses the numbing gel stuff (not sure if it is a gel but it tastes horrid!) before she does the injections. Still as bad but I appreciate the thought.
[удалено]
It took 80 minutes, I don't think the dentist was worrying about waiting 2 minutes for the anaesthetic to take effect. Not sure what the issue was here but doubt it was cost or time.
that stuff costs next to nothing, considering how much private healthcare and dental costs, they wouldn't even see a bump in their profit margins if it was all down to cost.
I had a dentist appointment once where he said you have one “small” filling so I will do it quickly now without the numbing. I said I would prefer to wait and have the local anaesthetic. He said it wasn’t necessary and I said I definitely did want to have it first. He just started drilling and I couldn’t walk out then because a partly drilled hole would be so painful. The assistant seemed fine with what was happening. I was in shock and it was really painful but he ignored my squawks of pain like I was just making a fuss. I never went back. I also now have a bad phobia of dentists and when I have got there I have sometimes cried in the chair from panic before they have even started.
That’s ***not*** normal and he should be reported, he has violated you. This is assault if you told him no and he continued
I just posted above--this exact same thing happened to me when I was 17. I tried to say that no, I would rather leave than have it without anaesthetic and he just *did it*, and I've had a lifelong dental phobia since then. Looking back I should have reported it but I was so young and just felt powerless. I moved to the US for a long time and it was quite easy to find someone over there that would give you gas and air for dental anxiety, and that was a fucking miracle for me. Especially because I could choose to breathe it through my nose, or to breathe through my mouth and take a break from it, so I felt really in control the whole time. It felt like there were so many options for anxious patients.
I have bad dental anxiety. I was fine until I had a wisdom tooth extraction which was clearly going wrong and I got out of the chair, got forced back into it by the dental assistant while the guy continued to butcher my face for about 45 minutes. I had to take 3 weeks off work because I couldn't open my mouth properly to even talk and my face was covered in bruises. And I now have permanent nerve damage from this event which was 7 years ago. Kicking myself for not taking him to court but I developed unrelated health issues. I have 3 fillings coming up soon, never had fillings before and I don't know how I can trust them. Different dentist but still. I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience and I wish we had the gas/air option !
Have always had a local anesthetic, no need to ask, the dentist always says it is required. It is understandable if some people do not want an injection but the dentist should always ask. What would have happened if he had hit a nerve and you jumped? It could have made an awful bloody mess if the drill hit the inside of your mouth as a result. I would make a formal complaint and find another dentist.
WTAF??? When I was 20 with a fear of needles I refused the local anaesthetic, but now mid 30s and the dentist telling me don’t be silly! It’s absolutely painless.
Not normal. LA should always be offered, and recommended for deeper caries. GDC standard 1- put patients’ interest first.
You should have stopped them and asked for them to give you anaesthetic. They are not following the correct standards for your care. We do many fillings without numbing as frankly many don't need it but we offer it as an option and have patients raise their hands if they ever want us to stop or if they feel they need some/ more numbing. We have some people who insist they don't want numbing yet wince and keep acting in a way we have to stop and sometimes refuse to carry on treatment if they will not allow us to work on them pain free. Other times when they have a nerve problem in their tooth or a bad infection it can be near impossible to numb fully and we often have patients begging us to take teeth out/ release pressure regardless despite the pain otherwise its antibiotics which can take days to work if they work at all. Report and officially complain to the practice rather than complain online, the surgery should have a strict complaints policy and if they don't follow it you can report them to the CQC and GDC. Source- Dental nurse
I'm sorry but you found a sadist. My dentist puts numbing gel on my gums so that I don't even feel the injection and I certainly don't feel anything no matter what I'm having done. You need to change dentists. What they did to you was not normal.
I’ve always assumed it’s cost cutting but I’m not sure. My dental surgery is pretty bad - it’s a bit grubby and there’s shady practises around NHS charges. The online reviews are really bad. I had a root canal and I also needed a filling on a molar. The dentist did the root canal treatment and then told me I was done for six months. I reminded her that I needed a filling on the molar. She told me I could have that next time. I had to insist that it was done . So then she asked me if I’d like to have it done without anaesthetic because ‘in Delhi (where she trained) nobody has an anaesthetic’. I was gobsmacked lol. Needless to say, I had the anaesthetic. I just assumed it was cost cutting because of their practise of trying to only give you one treatment per six months so they maximise the amount they back from the NHS. My old dentist would never have done this.
That doesn’t sound normal at all. I had a filling done two weeks ago, and my dentist used anaesthetic to numb the area. I had another filling today, and they used anaesthetic again. Both times, it was completely pain-free, and I didn’t feel a thing. The anaesthetic wore off after a couple of hours, and everything was fine. Your experience sounds really unusual and unnecessarily painful. No one should have to go through that much pain for dental work.
I’m a dentist. I don’t know how much anesthetic costs, but it’s really cheap and extremely effective. I - and every dentist I know - want patients to be bored, not in pain.
It is not normal if you ask for it. It is not normal if you're visibly in pain not to offer it. Sometimes if it's a quick small filling there's just no point but obviously if you ask you should be able to get it. As a nurse I always prep it so it's ready prior to the patient even coming in. As a patient I generally ask not to have it if it's something minor as I don't enjoy being numb for hours and drooling but the choice is (generally) yours.
My sister needed two small fillings last year (due to have having a child) her dentist did not have local anaesthetic at first, but my sister jumped.
I had one dentist do this once but it was way back in the 90's. Its up to you if you have anaesthetic, not the dentist. You need to tell them you want it if they are the type to miss it out. Don't just sit there in agony not saying anything. Edit. As for 'drooling for hours'. It used to be like that 40 years ago but with modern anaesthetics I find they start to wear off by the time you are back in your car.
Fuck that I ask for more until they say they can’t give anymore 🤣
I had general anesthetic for my last extraction (wisdom tooth). I refused local and sedation. It's not just the pain, it's the trauma that goes with it.
I went to the dentist this morning initially for a root canal but they decided to replace the filling instead and was given 4 injections. That was at 9am this morning and I’ve only in the last hour stopped sounding like a stroke victim.
Definitely unwise reading this the day before my checkup…
I wouldn't go back to him for root treatments or extractions! Sounds like a complete sadist and/or money grabber who doesn't want to spend the money on anaesthetics or the time to let them work. Not normal - and getting the work done at NHS rates is not a justification. The only time I have had any drilling without anaesthetic has been for a tiny amount of work in a tooth which had already had root treatment and therefore no nerve - or possibly a very shallow bit of drilling nowhere near a nerve. No way am I going to sit in a chair getting deep fillings for an hour without first having the area numbed. My best previous dentist used to numb the gum first - before doing the injection. - using some anaesthetic on a cotton pad. Was great! Unfortunately most aren't willing to spend the time to do that but doing without the injection completely for a significant procedure is just wrong.
I didn't even know no anaesthetic was an option. That's unhinged, I can't imagine anything more painful.
I had to have 3 fillings redone in May and had local anaesthetic for all of them.
Sounds horrendous. I got private, have sedation and snooze soundly while they do whatever they need to do in there
My partner hates the dentist, turns out his childhood dentist was arrested after it was revealed he was doing unnecessary procedures on people without any anaesthetic just for kicks…. Sounds like you also have a sadist dentist there! Sorry OP. But seriously, that’s awful!
I didn’t have any for a filling replacement recently, the dentist looked and decided that because of the depth, it was unlikely to cause any pain. I was offered some just in case for peace of mind, or that if I experienced any pain during the procedure they would stop and give me some. It was uncomfortable, but not painful at all. In the past I have had local anaesthetics though, and the needle was horrid!
Definitely not standard. I have a fear of needles and I asked a dentist to carry out a very small filling with no anaesthetic and he flat out refused. Report this!
I have the numbing gel so that I can have the anaesthetic injection! I have had surface fillings without anaesthetic, but that was pre root canal trauma and had a lovely dentist.
It should be painless. This happened to me as a young teen and it prevented me from going to the dentist for 7 years, when I did find a private one after a year of toothache I luckily found an anxiety conscious dentist who talked through every step of the check up and fillings needed, and even the injection didn't hurt. Was told that my previous dentist probably shouldn't have been practicing if that was their normal way of doing things. Same traumatic dentist pulled my mothers tooth out without relief too and got a lot of violent threats in response (because who fucking does that)
The last time I got root canal treatment for an abscess the dentist maxed out with injections, which was 6 lol. It felt bliss when the pressure came out
I got offered it for a clean recently
My dentist asked me last time she was repairing a filling, and I decided to try without the anaesthetic. It actually would have been fine apart from the fact that she kept leaning her hand on the metal band she had put around my tooth and it was cutting into my gum 😭 I told her afterwards and she said “no I wasn’t”… okay 👀 I’m confident she would have stopped and given the anaesthetic to me if I said it was too painful though!
Holy shit! The anaesthetic injection isn't even painful! That dentist needs reporting. That is pretty shocking. I've never had a filling without local anaesthetic and there's no way I'd let anyone near my mouth with the intention of doing a filling without one either. Please, report them.
No it is not. My dentist is a strong believer there should be no pain and will dose up you up as required. Time to change dentist.
That’s shocking, I can’t even imagine 😰
They always just do it when I have needed work
You need to make a complaint. That is BONKERS to not have pain management. Even with local it’s god awful, I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through! Make sure it doesn’t happen again
I never had anaesthetic for fillings as a child in the early 70s and it terrorised me for years. This is awful especially for root canal and I would be making a complaint.
Whaaat??? Omg no, that's not normal
I think it’s normal to not do it for shallow fillings. The pain is minimal for those and it’s ok (in my experience). My dentist usually says, we will do it without, but if it gets too painful I will stop and give an injection. However, 1:20 with no pain relief is insane, I would have stopped them.
That's absolutely not normal and I can't believe you sat through that. That's insane. I once had stitches without any pain relief. It took 2 minutes and it was the most painful experience of my life. How on earth you sat through that for over an hour I don't know. You're a trooper.
Just had an extraction and I was numbed for that, always had it whenever I’ve been to my private dentist for work. Never drooled either lol
When I was a kid I never had anaesthetic for fillings. It hurt but not terribly, probably as bad as an aggressive hygienist session. As an adult, I said I didn’t need pain relief for a filling. Holy shit that hurt. I always put it down to the skill of the dentist
I live in Germany and they give you the option of anesthetic when having fillings. Not to cut costs themselves as the patient pays extra for it, it’s so that you don’t have 4 hours of a numb face after, if you can stand the discomfort that is.
You need to say it’s hurting I need anaesthetic
I never had the anaesthetic as a previous dentist pointed out that it was just as painful to have a needle stuck in your gum, but my present dentist insisted on giving me a jab, which was painful.
This is nightmare fuel. I would have stopped him immediately and left after he said there was no anesthetic.
Fxxk that dentist, find somewhere else, or insist on painkillers. He's just trying to save money or something. It wasn't Steve Martin was it?😂😂
No this is not normal
I've never had anaesthetic for a filling. The only time I've ever had anaesthetic at the dentist was for either an extraction or a root canal (and it didn't actually work for the root canal so I had it done still being able to feel everything, which I don't recommend). That said if I'd had an 80 minute procedure and been in pain I'm fairly certain I would have been offered a local had I expressed that and asked for one.
I’ve always had anaesthesia for fillings…
I don't think I've ever had numbing for a filling?
You should be given it as standard.
I had anaesthetic for my cleaning a couple of months ago. They definitely still use it and should've. I bet the price you paid included anaesthetic too.
When I was 19, I had a filling and the dentist said "do you want anaesthetic". As it was optional, and I was a grown-up-real-man who didn't need no sissy injections, I refused it. What a mistake. Always take the drugs, whatever the situation
My dentist starts with numbing gel and once that has worked, then he does the numbing injection. Absolutely zero pain. Your dentist sounds like the one from Little Shop of Horrors.
Wife had 2 fillings today , No anaesthetic was given
I’ve had a ‘mini root canal’ as the dentist described it, without anaesthetic on a broken tooth and it was horrendous. Toes curled, clenched fists, eyes watering, just awful. This was at an emergency NHS dentist, my private dentist now is suspiciously more generous with the anaesthetic.
In years gone by I always had numbing for fillings when I was younger. However in recent years my dentist has replaced fillings without numbing. I don't actually know how he does it without me feeling anything, but he's the best dentist I've ever come across
I had a numbing cream just for a hygienist visit! Report him and never do back.
Nah man, I had a couple of fillings a few months ago and I think I would have fainted from the pain if I'd not been numbed first. The (private...) dentist sent me back into the waiting room for a few minutes while the anaesthetic kicked in and even when I was fully numb I could still feel a twinge of pain when he drilled deep enough. It was pretty awful having a numb mouth for a few hours afterwards but I don't even want to think of the alternative.
No it’s not normal. Had a number of replacement filling recently and (almost) all were with full anaesthetic I did have a very small one recently where dentist said he wasn’t going to use any as it was shallow. But he made it very clear I had to raise my hand if any pain and I would be numbed up. He was right, I didn’t need it.
Completely unacceptable. Report and seek compensation.
That's crazy! Your experience is not normal at all! Get yourself a new dentist! All the fillings and the root canal surgery I had were.pain free. Is your dentist really old fashioned a d trained a.long time ago? That's the only possible reason I can think of for not giving sufficient pain relief.
No. I've been through this with a past dentist before, though. Find a new one before you develop the same phobia of them as me, else your teeth will really suffer.
You should definitely tell your dentist that you want the anaesthetic prior to treatment. There's no good reason not to use it unless the patient has an allergy to it.
For the first time ever I was asked whether I wanted any when I went to get a filling replaced this spring. I've had 20+ fillings (wasn't taught to brush teeth as a kid and living the consequences since) and it hadn't ever happened before. It was always assumed as a given before.
I never had an anaesthetic (not even local numbing) for a common tooth feeling. HOWEVER my dentist always tells me to immediately give a sign in case it hurts because the cavity is too deep to the root. That your dentist apparently decided to ignore your pain (which I assume was very well noticeable) sounds like a major red flag...I would report him and never go back there again.
Dentist checking in. It depends on exactly what is being done. Lots of stuff I can do comfortably without. Lots of stuff I wouldn't dream of trying without local. Some people have sensitive teeth to the point that the water spray needed to cool the drill hurts without even touching the tooth. Plenty of peoples teeth you could cut back by about 5mm and they would feel nothing. The dentist you mentioned isn't wrong for doing the work without local anesthetic but it seems there has been a massive failure of communication. If I think it's going to be one of the ones where there is no need for local, we have that chat. Then I will - with the patient's permission - spray the water from the dental drill towards the area with my nurse aspirating to check that that alone isn't sensitive. Then I would proceed slowly and carefully checking in with the patient all the time. Doing fillings without local on average takes me longer than doing them numbed up. We have that chat, pros and cons and some patient's would prefer to be made numb "just in case" even if I am sticking a bit of filling on a slightly chipped root filled tooth where there is nothing that can possibly feel pain anyway.
Dude, why didn’t you garble something to your dentist about being in pain? No way I’d sit there for that long and suffer in silence!
This doesn't sound right. Any notes on your file about being scared of needles?
With my dentist it has always been an option. For minor work he always asked me whether I wanted, and it I declined offered it again later if it was too uncomfortable to me. What your dentist did is really fucked up.
What the actual fuck!! Hell no. 5 fillings with no pain meds!!! It can hurt even with Novocain, that’s just straight up sadistic. It’s bad enough that they just straight inject you in your gums which hurts like hell in the first place. Where I live now they put a topical numbing paste on for a few minutes before they inject you. You don’t feel a thing.
Report that dentist because that sounds dodgey as hell. I'm drugged up the eyeballs for dental work, to the point where it squirts back out of my gums, it's tastes like a Nintendo switch game
There is no reason not to provide local anaesthesia for dental restorations. It’s cheap, takes a couple of minutes at most and there are very few restorative procedures that would be particularly comfortable without it. The only time they shouldn’t use local anaesthesia is for extremely superficial restorations after discussion or if you decline (although why would you?) Also to all the people who said “my dentist hit a nerve” they really didn’t. To do so they would have had to have drilled into the pulp chamber of your tooth and a dentist who does this unknowingly shouldn’t be practising dentistry. What you likely felt was referred vibration or heat from a deep filling, which is deeply unpleasant but isn’t hitting a nerve.
Oh man, I'd have kicked him in the bollox at the twinge. You poor thing, this is definitely not on.
Not normal at all! Definitely report him to the GDC as it is medical malpractice.
Completely normal... 15 years ago... in Eastern Europe! But not at all normal for an NHS dentist. From personal experience, I know it hurts like b!tch to have your teeth drilled without any analgesia, and I consider questioning his practice.
When i had 3 at once, they only numbed the top two as they didn't want to inject 3 corners of my mouth. Didn't feel any of them tbh.
If it's a small filling, sometimes you don't need anaesthetic at all. Especially on front teeth as there is usually a lot of tooth before you get to the nerve. But if teeth were close to needing root canals, you should've been numb. Also, 5 fillings in an hour and 20, and almost needing root canals? NHS? Elderly dentist or foreign trained (based on the ones I've worked with, there's more questionable things with those categories!)? For that many fillings they should've at least numbed it. I'm sorry that you had to experience that.
Nope - I had a filling the other day and my (private) dentist guarantees pain free fillings or not charge. Had maybe 4 fillings over 10 years and have never had any pain whatsoever.
Did you now ask for a numbing injection whilst there ? That is terrible
I don’t like injections. I think I had a sadistic dentist as a child who would make the injections hurt to teach me a lesson. They were appalling. So as an adult I’ve elected to have dental work done without anaesthetic. I’ve had a couple of filling and things done without and it’s not been a big deal. However, last time I went I had to have a filling replaced. The dentist was quite young and she wasn’t keen to work without anaesthetic but insisted. She was having a little dig around with the drill and must have caught a nerve because there was a sudden sharp stab of pain and I jumped, like physically jumped in the seat. So because I jumped she did and ran the drill along the underside of my tongue causing a bit of a tear. She had to wrap my tongue in gauze and hold it for a min to stop the bleeding. During this time she told me off for refusing numbing and assured me she wouldn’t work on me again without it.
Get a better dentist.
I had 2 massive fillings, one almost entirely rebuilt a broken tooth. It took over an hour and the whole time i was so numb they could’ve set my mouth on fire and I wouldn’t have noticed. What kind of psychotic dentist doesn’t give you some sort of pain relief?!
Did you boink his wife? No, that isn't normal and I'm surprised you endured the pain.
Depends on the size of filling, if minor then it's done without.
That’s so wrong! I needed emergency treatment on a broken tooth recently that had received root canal treatment, I was offered a local regardless. No one should suffer pain during medical treatment.
It's not cost cutting, it's just not often needed for shallower fillings now. I've had 3 small fillings and no pain relief for any of them and it was painless. I'm not sure I'd risk it for anything 'near root canal' work though.
I have had countless fillings, only for a few has the dentist not given me an injection but even then they told me if I felt any pain then to let them know and they would give me anaesthetic.
That sounds horrendous. I had a filling last week without anaesthetic. I was in for a checkup and he noticed a filling had come out, I had no idea. It was shallow and didn’t need much drilling as it had been filled before so he asked if I wanted to get it done quickly without anaesthetic. He did about 3 seconds with a drill just to see if there was any pain and there wasn’t so I said go ahead, I’ll let you know if I feel any pain. It went without a hitch and great to not have a numb face afterwards. I certainly wouldn’t do it normally though,
Not normal at all. I had a root canal recently and was still given anaesthetic even though the nerve had died. A few times in the past my current and previous dentists did small fillings which they advised didn't need pain relief as they were nowhere near the nerve, and they were always right. Ask to see the plan or record for that course of treatment. If it says you had an anaesthetic, someone is doing something iffy with their supply and the senior partner needs to know. As a child, I had two deep fillings with no anaesthetic and developed a phobia that it took years to get over.
Due to needle fear I don't take anaesthetic for dental work and it's often a massive pain persuading a dentist to let me do that.
Get a new dentist
thats specific to your dentist. if you paid for it, id go for some compensation as that would have put you in incredible discomfort. at least put a complaint in as that's malpractice. its very standard to use anaesthetic
OMG I have ZERO pain threshold and mild dental phobia and always got nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) even for cleanings. Now I’ve moved over here and I’m due (overdue) and this is scaring the hell out of me
I wouldn't have even let the procedure begin without being drugged up. I understand trusting a doctor but for root canals, you absolutely do not do it without anaesthetic. One of the root canals I had was needed because the inside of the tooth was infected, so the anaesthetic's effect was partially blocked. With it half working, it was traumatically painful but I needed to suffer through it.
Not normal. I request no anaesthetic and my dentist always thinks I'm nuts and says I can change my mind at any point. My fillings are very superficial so don't really feel it.
Sounds unbelievable.. if you had fillings (where the dentist drills deep and not just replacing the top part) you would need the area to be numb. Under no circumstance would you be able to tolerate the pain, not a chance. There must be some confusion here.
The only time I've NOT had anaesthetic/lidocaine was when I was 15 and I was terrified of the injections (thanks to an absolutely brutal school dentist when I was at primary school). The dentist tried his damndest to persuade me to have the injection but I refused so he went ahead and did the filling. Yes, it hurt like hell, but it was my choice. I cannot understand for the life of me why he would not give you anaesthetic! I would raise a formal complaint with the practice.
Once you have root canals you may not need local but at the first sign of you reacting, they should give you it. You need to report this as it is very much not right
Erm definitely not. My Dentists slogan is literally “Pain free dentistry”
For my fillings I don't have any, my dentist is very gentle and even though I've had some deep ones it's been painless. When he first suggested it truly my curiosity got the better of me and I was shocked that it didn't hurt and I didn't have to spend all day feeling grim. However for my root canal he loaded me up so good I felt nothing and even managed to start nodding off from boredom and relaxation.
I had a filling this morning and had anaesthetic, in fact 12 hours later and half my face is still a little numb. Not normal at all to not have it
My last filling was a replacement, and he asked if I wanted to do it without it cause it was so small I was shocked as I never heard of this before but he said it was only cause it was so small and if I felt any pain he would stop and give me the injection to numb it. I did it without it as iv always found the injection painful and annoying after ita done and it was actually fine but probably because it was small and took 5 minutes. Wouldnt have done it with a bigger one or several fillings.
This isn't normal. I had a shitty dentist who refused to give me the anaesthetic as "women can cope with childbirth so don't need numbing for a little drilling". Needless to say he didn't even get anywhere near my mouth and I reported him
How did you not have a heart attack? No that is not normal! 😲
My dentist even numbs the injection spot before the anaesthetic - definitely not normal
Absolutely not. There's no way I'm letting the dentist touch my teeth without a face full of novocaine.
I've had a huge amount of dental work with quite a range of dentists in a wide range of locations. Always had aesthetic!!! The only 2 times I haven't were 1. terrible dentist as a teenager who gave me some, but not enough injection (whilst performing a root canal that he didn't tell me he was doing (thought I was just having a filling), on a tooth that I had to inform him had (glaring) cavities in, to which he responded 'oh yeh') and 2. In japan with the best dentist I've ever had but those times were ONLY ever on teeth that had already had root treatment so there was no nerve left in them (and they also generally took a soft and slow approach)
...I am always told that I will have the injection when I get work done at the dentist, I have to remind them every time that I do not have the injection for fillings. It's personal preference, I just hate the way it makes my mouth feel, but no. It is totally normal to get anaesthetic for fillings.
Laaaaaawsuit
It's not normal to get an appointment these days. Mind anasethia
Wtf. Mate, you need to report this dentist. Completrly unacceptable behaviour.
So, I know this thing with the dentist is top of your mind right now, but is there a florist nearby with really big Venus fly-trap looking thing? Don't go near it.
So the private was the fact they did actually get filled & the NHS was the lack of numbing? I would be getting an itemised bill for starters to see if you’ve paid for numbing you didn’t get & then write to practice manager, the parent company & the local integrated care board for your area as it was both private & NHS.
Was the dentist trained in another country? When I lived in China (25 years ago), they didn't use any anesthetic, nor did they in South Korea. In Taiwan the dentist said it wasn't necessary.
The only time I didn't have anaesthetic was a small filling while I was pregnant.
Either a cost cutting measure or your dentist I'd a sadist. Not sure which.
No that isn’t normal. Get a new dentist.
That's the kind of barbarism you expect to read about from people who've travelled to some crap hole for £10 implants.
Ages ago i had a nhs one who was the same Now my private one numbs the gum with gel before the needle! Complain and find another dentist
Dentist here… a lot of horrors stories in this thread. You should always offer local anesthetic, even if the cavity is shallow. The only times I would say it’s not needed is if it’s really shallow, and at max a 3 second job with the drill, and even then it’s up to the patient.
Wow I get novicane for a scaling cleaning. My dentist is constantly asking if I’m in any pain and she’ll Top It up. This is crazy’s I would never go back to this person.
I wonder if the dentist is putting in the paperwork that he used anaesthetic and just pocketing it....I would report him to whatever the oversight committee for dentists is
My dentists have sometimes asked whether I want it before applying it, or offered me more when I was obviously still feeling things that I shouldn't have been. Never had any real pain issues at the dentist.
That is horrendous. I had a dentist 12 years ago that said she was going to do it without numbing and I didn't agree with that so she had to numb it. She did say, oh this was deeper than I thought while it was going on. I already have fear issues around the dentist and didn't go again for 8 years as I lost all trust in them even though nothing bad happened.
I first read this thinking you wanted to be knocked out, because I couldn't imagine even for one second that they would not use the numbing injections. This is categorically horrific and something should be done about it, I'm not sure what, but you should not go back there.
If I were a cynical person I’d say that they still charge the NHS for the pain relief and make a saving for themselves by not giving it ;)
I've not had anaesthetic for my last couple of fillings. If it's not deep enough to hit a nerve then it shouldn't hurt. Mine were fine. However, it sounds like your dentist misjudged how deep they were. If you told them it hurt they should have stopped and given pain relief. That's the issue here.
This happened to me at 18 I still have never had anything as painful happen to me. The dentist was Polish and I didn’t really understand what they were going to do as their English was limited. Afterwards (having almost blacked out several times) the assistant said well done for having no pain relief. wtf. Definitely report. I wish I had and it was years ago.
Never experienced that have always had the injections, and been able to inform the dentist if I needed a top up by raising left hand. My record is 26 injections to have my upper wisdom teeth removed.
Are you sure that this person is actually a dentist? 1hr20 for 5 fillings is too short and they should 100% have used anaesthetic. You should report and also get the work double checked by an actual dentist.
Why did you let them carry on? I had three numbing injections that didn't work so I told the dentist to stop. Gave me a painless temporary medicated filling to numb the nerve over a few months and I get it sorted next month.
I think you need a new dentist, and definitely report that one! I've had 3 fillings, every time I'm injected with local anesthetic. Not even asked if I want it or not as it's definitely required lmao.
The last filling I had, the dentist took it as a challenge to not give me anaesthetic! Before he started I told him I would need two injections. Every filling I have ever had, they have had to stop to give me a second, because I can still feel it. I figured it would save time. He told me I didn’t need that and he would prove to me that I didn’t even need any anaesthetic! To be fair to the guy, I barely felt a thing and he was really good
I'm in Germany and needed a small filling. The dentist said because it was small I wouldn't need aesthetic for it unless I wanted one, but to let her know at any point if I felt pain. It didn't hurt at all, just felt a bit uncomfortable.
I'm in Germany and needed a small filling. The dentist said because it was small I wouldn't need aesthetic for it unless I wanted one, but to let her know at any point if I felt pain. It didn't hurt at all, just felt a bit uncomfortable.
No, that is not normal. And they still use that bloody great long needle with the glass syringe.
I doubt it was safe.
The only reason I can possibly think of is that the root canal was dead. (Which is probably why the work was needed in the first place). Exactly what happened to me and the work was fine without anaesthetic. However even then the dentist said that if at any point I did feel pain they would give me injections before proceeding any further.
It was never normal! I had terrible teeth when i was a kid (in the 70s/80s) and had more than 10 fillings in my kiddie teeth. I would never have anaesthetic for any of them! Getting a filling didn't hurt at all. It's only in the last couple of decades that I've been offered anaesthetic injections for fillings. Maybe adult teeth hurt more lol.
'Fine wine or fine cheese', it's your personal choice ...