Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

[blueeyedwolf1977]

Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

I am a 35 yr old yr old woman, a natural redhead, (well, more of an auburn? lol) who, back in November, had all my teeth removed, due to not having taken care of them through the years, have had so many problems I lost count with my mouth, the last place I went before all this, took an X-ray and saw nothing but abscesses all the way around, really had no choice in getting them all out, for my health (which was declining due to all the infections I constantly had)......the BIGGEST reason I never saw a dentist all these years, is because all the local anaestheticsnever worked....at all!! I have heard that's because I might have the mutation in the melanocortin-1 receptor gene (or MC1R for short). The oral surgeon that performed my procedure is known for giving an IV sedation, so I was completely out (thank goodness!), woke up with no teeth and went on my merry way....had some problems afterwards with pain, but they gave me one extra prescription for pain medicine...and then all was (pretty much) well....up until now...

Since having them all removed, I have had numerous little bone spurs (common, I know), and they have all eventually worked themselves out....now have a pretty large one (for me anyway), that I've had since then...and can't get dentures until the oral surgeon "files" it down...? They said they are going to "freeze" it..? If that means Novocaine (or something like it), I will feel it all...

Any ideas? Can I ask to be sedated? My hubby will be driving...I plan on NOT eating or drinking anything after midnight, just in case....thanks to all in advance!!!!

 

[carole]

Re: Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

Hi to the forum.

I have heard of people having these removed but I am sure they all say it is easy and doesn't hurt. I don't know about the freezing thing.
Could you ring beforehand and make sure what is going to happen and ask if you can be sedated.

Hopefully someone will be able to give you an answer, we do get dentists on here and they will know. If you don't get an answer on this part of the forum, post your question on the dentist questions part, I think they look there first.

Good luck with the rest of your treatment, are you having dentures or implants?

You don't have to answer me I am just being nosy.

 

[Davee]

I totally understand your concerns. I had a line of bone removed from my dentist last week that was from an extraction of three teeth. It was about 1.5 inches long. I was not given any pain or numbing medication (my choice, he would have stopped and given it to me if I told him I needed it) and it was not very painful at all. I would put at a 2 on a 1 to 10 pain scale. It was awesome to run my tongue over the gum and not feel that ridge of bone from the bone fragment after he was done. My gum was sore for about 24 hours after he did this, and then felt normal.

 

[brit]

Re: Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

Freezing is normally just another way of referring to numbing, so 'local anaesthetic' is likely what they mean.

The solution with the red hair gene mutation (can affect people with other hair colours too) is to use more LA than normal:

Can't Get Numb

Find out why you may not get numb enough, what dentists can do to get you numb, and how to ensure your treatment is painless.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

 

[Tink]

Re: Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

Hello, I'm not a readhead, but I am well used to what it's like to not have the local anaesthetic work properly so I know how it feels.

My best advice would be to make sure you tell them how you're feeling and about the problems you've had with anaesthetic in the past. As Brit says, even as a redhead it should be possible to get you numb by using more anaesthetic than usual, and if that doesn't work then there may be other drugs they can try (there are several different sorts available). The important thing is that, whatever you may have been told in the past, you do not have to have any treatment without anaesthetic. On the day, if the anaesthetic hasn't worked, you do not have to let them go ahead and carry on without it. If the dentist really can't get it numb themselves, then they should be able to refer you to a specialist who can.

If you feel you need to, it's OK to ask for sedation too. You're in charge.


(I know all this is easier said than done by the way! I hope it all goes well for you)

 

[blueeyedwolf1977]

Re: Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

Thank you for responding!! I really would like to be at least have twilight anaesthesia if possible...gas...something other than the needle....SEVERE anxiety there....

 

[Tink]

Re: Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

Thank you for responding!! I really would like to be at least have twilight anaesthesia if possible...gas...something other than the needle....SEVERE anxiety there....

Ah OK, so if you have anxiety about needles too then simply giving you extra anaesthetic isn't going to be an easy option.

Talk to them, explain your situation and make sure you tell them how you feel, they should be able to help you out with some sort of sedation.

 

[hartsada]

Thanks to my parents for the gene. I too am a natural redhead. But I think last time it took a few more than normal to freeze which meant I was frozen a bit longer. But better frozen and no pain is my philosophy...

 

[blueeyedwolf1977]

Re: Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

I am getting dentures, as my insurance won't cover anything, my family has all chipped in for tops and bottoms because I'm only 35...happy to be getting something though.....always feels like my mouth is salivating and drooling lol

 

[comfortdentist]

Re: Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

Even in extremely difficult to anesthetize patients I have never had one that local anesthesia didn't work for soft tissue procedures.

 

[griffinej5]

Re: Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

I don't have red hair, but my dentist did ask me if my hair was naturally red once. I'm pretty fair skinned, but I'm not a red head. I was a blonde little kid, but since then my hair is brown. You can have that gene without having red hair though. They switched me to a different anesthetic, which seemed to help.

 

[blueeyedwolf1977]

Re: Anyone else have a problem with Novocaine not working?!?! Any other natural redheads here?

I went in today to have the huge bone spur removed, which ended up being 2 of them....one big and one smaller....they "froze" me pretty successfully....except my lips weren't numb at all, felt like there was a fish hook holding my lip off to the side...

My oral surgeon is really good...he's got a great bed-side manner, and so do his staff...the ones in back anyway...the one's up front need some better interpersonal skills!!
He slipped while he was trying to file it down and jabbed me on the bottom corner of where my lip and gum meet...can't say that was very pleasant!! Also, while suturing me, there was a part that wasn't numb, but it was only where he did the first suture, and he apologized and kept going...said there was no reason to freeze that area since he was done there.....so....
Overall, hopefully I am done with this part of my life (dentists)...and onto dentures now!!