20 Now, Molar Pulled No Novocaine at age 3

Hello, im new to the forums and my teeth are getting to the point where i need to overcome this fear and get to the dentist. So ill begin at the beginning. When i was 3 I had to get a molar pulled (apparently i got a cavity by sneaking into the sugar jar earlier in my life). yeah, well when they pulled it i was wide awake and had recieved ZERO shots of novocaine. idk if they figured they could get away with it cause i was so young, if they were simply negligent, or what. regardless that was it...**** dentists. i had to go to the dentist again several times in my youth and was usually told "we'll just be cleaning your teeth today" only to hear the drill several minutes later. Its now been about 7 years since i last went to any dentist and i have many many cavities. several teeth are basically non existent and if i look at the teeth using 2 mirrors i want to cry. My primary purpose for writing this is to get these thoughts out (hopefully that will help in some small way) but i WOULD LOVE anyone's input. idc what you have to say, i will eagerly read. and i know this is for a different area of the forums, but if anyone does know a good dentist in northwestern Pennsylvania i would be happy to hear about them. Thanks.

I'm 35 and I had a similar experience at age 2. I had my top front teeth pulled, nothing to numb it--the dentist told my mother babies couldn't feel pain. I have the vaguest memories of it.

Hi pope005 and ,

it must have taken you an awful lot of courage to post here following your previous experiences . Unfortunately, I don't think we have any dentists in your area listed at present. There are some general tips on finding a dentist here:


I don't know if you've had a look around the main website yet; if not, there is a lot of information available especially in the Common Fears and Help sections.

The best way of finding a kind, gentle and caring dentist is by word-of-mouth (asking friends, family members, acquaintances or colleagues, sympathetic doctors or nurses for recommendations). But a lot of people with dental phobias find this very difficult or impossible, so there are some alternative suggestions on the pages listed above.

Bear in mind that your previous bad experiences happened when you were a minor. You have every right to be angry. On the positive side, as an adult, you now have a chance to pick and choose a dentist who is right for you and who treats you as an equal. We always recommend making the first appointment/consultation for a chat only - this will allow you to check out if your shortlisted dentist feels right for you!

I wish you all the best with finding someone who is right for you (and maybe, someone else here will have a recommendation for someone in your area!)