04.23.03
Three doses of Novocain
During my last dental cleaning my dental hygienist noticed a hole had developed in one of my fillings. Yesterday I went in to see my dentist and have it fixed. It has been a long time since I sat in the dentist chair. As Dr. Price gave me a shot of Novocain I thought of mentioning to her that in past I have had to have extra shots before I am anesthetized, and then never fully. I decided to let the session go in case it was some error in the part of previous dentists that had caused problems. That was a mistake.
After letting the shot sit for a few minutes Dr. Price began drilling out the old filling and quickly hit a nerve. I squirmed. She stopped, asked how I was feeling and gave me a couple of extra shots. Her assistant handed me a magazine to read while the painkiller settled in. After a few minutes the doctor set to work again, and quickly got another yelp out of me. A bit surprised she stopped her drilling and again set to work administering Novocain. This time she gave me five short shots to specific parts around the gum. We sat for a few minutes more until I could feel the numbness up my cheek and through the gum line.
After being given what felt like as full a dose as I could get, Dr. Price set to work on the tooth again. This time it was a while before I again felt the pain. It was not as sharp or intense and it took longer to feel it, but there were definitely some uncomfortable moments through the procedure, specially as cold air came into the hole before it could be filled.
Now, I am left wondering why. Why is it that even with extra injections of Novocain placed in precise and strategic places by a professional I trust, my jaw could not be convinced to not feel any pain? I am 6?3? tall and presume most drug dozes will need to be increased to account for my size… but three doses of Novocain? Am I really that sensitive? Am I somehow immune to the stuff? I remember as a kid I used to have a very keen sense of hearing (headphones in high school took care of that) and I have always been very sensitive to smells and tastes. Is there any relationship? Is there a way to find out? I have asked a couple of doctors about this and had them look at me as if I were a dunce, but have yet to hear any answers.
Sara Koopman said,
April 24, 2003 at 11:47 am
seems to me like something to ask a natural health practicioner - naturopath or acupuncturist or something.
Leopoldo said,
April 24, 2003 at 12:34 pm
I think they shave your head and kick you out if you mention the words ‘naturopath’ or ‘acupuncturist’ within the white lab coat ‘we know best’ word of Kaiser Permanente.
Mari said,
April 30, 2003 at 10:29 am
Well, being that I am more than a foot shorter than you and i STILL require at least 3 shots of novocaine around the tooth and 1 shot into the tooth (i kid you not!) when i get serious drilling done, i think it has more to do with the layout of your nerves in your teeth and gums.
Maybe the Dentists have been blowing smoke up my ass for years, but I have been told by several that I have an extra series of nerves in my mouth which is why dental work pains me so much…
I hate dentists. A LOT.
Leopoldo said,
April 30, 2003 at 3:04 pm
That is actually very good to know in the ‘at least I am glad it is not just me’ sort of way. I personally don’t hate dentists, rather like the one I have right now. She is an awesome person, and her staff is all very friendly. I know whenever I visit they will great me with a happy smile and want to know what the latest news in my life is. I do hate the pain, but I don’t know that there is much of anything that can be done about that.
Aaron said,
July 21, 2003 at 2:34 pm
No joke, I have been shot 16 times in the hand when I had to get some stiches put in.
He shot me 8 times before sticking me, and it hurt quite a bit. A little shocked, he shot me 8 more times… I still felt it. Same thing when I had plastic surgery. Rediculous.
kitty said,
April 29, 2005 at 6:05 pm
that’s weird. that’s exactly what happened with me when I had to have my teeth drilled. I could still feel everything. I’m not normally a sucker for pain, but jeez. And the cold air and water thing nearly killed me. I also squirmed because ironically my dentist hit a nerve as well.
It’s interesting to note that novacain works well, and just as it’s supposed to in other places on my body. For instance, I got sugery done on my foot, and couldn’t feel a thing. I thought about why that is and couldn’t conclude much either.
Bren said,
November 4, 2008 at 10:54 am
Interesting to hear about your sensory sensitivity — my daughter has the same thing with heightened sense of hearing, smell, taste and touch. She felt WAY more than a regular dentist could comprehend, so he just proceeded with more and more sternness until finally giving up and kicking her out, with her hysterical from pain and trauma. Finally found a children’s specialist dentist who understood and actually put her under for all of her dental work, which worked far better.
I’m not hyper-sensitive like she is, and have lived with intense chronic pain for years, so my pain tolerance is probably greater than the average bear. However, as mentioned by other commenters on here, dentists and dental surgeons have told me there are nerves in my head branching off from the normal ones. Once they’ve administered the correct dose of novocain (and it’s more, since I’m big and tall), in the correct places for most people, I’ve still felt things where some professionals have assured me I cannot POSSIBLY feel them. Caring professionals will listen to and respond to your personal needs until you’re as comfortable as humanly possible.
Those things being said, there is the matter of hot/cold and pressure sensitivity. Even though my dentist, who works well with me after all these years, administered the right novocain in the right places for me, I still did some squirming and even leaping this last time because some of the surrounding teeth are just sensitive and because part of my gums was inflamed, two things which I understand could not be handled by the freezing. I lived through it . . . but just barely.