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DEEEP fillings done with NO LIDOCAINE

G

getting there

Junior member
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
11
Location
usa,Minnesota
Hello,first off id like to explain why I REFUSE to use lidocaine/novacaine.......there KNOWN to cause numbness MUCH longer than the mere hours a dentist claims.there are many cases where people have received a numbing injection and found themselves still numb 3 MONTHS later,sometimes its PERMANENT.the surgeons prognosis for that condition isn't good either,they tell u the best case scenario is 60% feeling and taste recovery.id rather have an hr of discomfort than PERMANENT numbness/ loss of taste.anyway now to the visit.I sat down expecting the worst pain because of what I UNFORTUNATELY read on the internet.my dentist showed confidence that my 3 LARGE DEEP fillings could be done without ANY numbing assistance(lidocaine,novacaine,laughing gas,gel ect) he told me he has preped people for crowns with no lidocaine so I would be able to handle it,and hed ise the water laser to do it to maximize my comfort.....so here we go.they put the bib,goggles and a mouth piece in to hold my mouth open and keep my cheeks off my teeth.then he explained that the water laser sounds lound but it woul be fine.then he started.the water laser sounds like a taser BUT I felt no pain.he proceeded to water lase my teeth for about 15 mins,during wich I felt nothing but I could smell my teeth.it smells like car exhaust sorta so be prepared for that.15 mins into the water laser he stops.he tells me that my teeth are VERY dense and the laser is barley working.he then asks if he can use the drill "itl save me alot of time" I said ah huh.then the drill starts.it sounds alot less intimidating than u think.he put it to my tooth and I felt nothing.20 or so mins into drilling I started to feel sensitivity NOT PAIN.as time continued the sensitivity did as well but still no pain.but the sensitivity kinda sucks.its definitely tolerabl but it sucks a bit.during drilling my dentist stops and askes the assistant for the white bit.....at the time I had NO idea what that was.he puts on the new bit and I felt no difference.he finishes up drilling and then starts scraping and squirting water intermittently.then uses a painles tool to see if he gotall the decay.the scarping definetly provoked sensitivity but I still could tolerate it.then he puts on the composite (that caused no sensitivity) after it dries(2 mins I think) he started drilling it into shape and now and then had me bite a film or something to see the bite impressions.(the drilling to mold the composite causes no pain in my opinion.then he made shure floss would still go through my teeth,rinsed out my mouth again and said I was done.he then said I was relly close to a root canal but because of this WHITE BIT he was able to prevent it.we talked a bit more and then I thanked him and left.this was 4 weeks ago and tomorrow I go in to do 5 more the same way as before.does it suck, my opinion is yeah a little bit but its definitely tolerable.I had no pain the entire time just feelings of tooth sensitivity towards the end similar to biting a cold popsicle with sensitive teeth kinda.my teeth were kinda sore off and on for a couple days,barley noticeable though.probably woulda gone away if I took a Tylenol but I didn't,didn't feel like I needed to.bottom line,to me anyway this was tolerable,painless and WORTH IT.the sensitivity toward the end of drilling kinda sucked but like I said to me it was easly tolerable.Iplease dont let anxiety and people on the internet make u feel like u shouldn't get your fillings done.I have terrible anxiety but I think about it like this........at some point something has to be done with my teeth,I might as well get um done before they need root canals,extraction ect.
 
UPDATE.........I just got 5 more done the same way on Tuesday and I wouldn't change a thing about how I did them(no lidocaine ect) but I was close to a root canal so I will say this .........PLEASE go to see your dentist regularly,PLEASE even if your scared go in because a cavity could easily turn into a root canal or extaction.don't put it off,I wish I hadn't.
 
I am pleased to read that things have gone so well for you. On the subject of having fillings with no numbing it is really good that you have managed to be able to do this but there aren't a lot of people that would be able to.

I do agree that people shouldn't avoid going to the dentist but fear often plays a part. The fear of feeling any pain can also be a big factor so I wouldn't recommend anyone to refuse to be numbed. The dentist will advise if it would be fine not to be. In most cases it would be required to be numb for treatment.

I wish you all the best :butterfly:
 
well done and all that but my anxiety relates to bad effects of lidocaine..perhaps you should be a little more sensitive to other peoples fears on here (fear forum) as I am now more than likely going to cancel my appointment...again!!!!
 
Very well done. You found your way to manage your fears and had the treatment done.
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Very well done. You found your way to manage your fears and had the treatment done.
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I have a fear of lidocaine..I am having my upper wisdom tooth filled..where will I feel numb,I felt this post from original poster was irresponsible.
 
This post done by getting there is not irresponsible in my opinion because although I don't agree with what they are advising everyone to do it is their opinion and they state that this works for them. I say good that they have found a way they can get treatment and if it works for them I am all for it. But as I said it isn't for me or a lot of other people either.

I wish I could just go along and get all my treatments done without the numbing but I can't so although it is annoying I want it every time if it means I don't feel anything. I also acknowledge that you adamjames2 are entitled to your opinion and your fears are very real and valid to you but we all have different experiences and fears of visiting the dentist and what works for one doesn't work for all.

I hope you don't cancel your appointment as it will leave you in pain and possible further infection. It is two to three hours of dis-comfort being numb that you have to get through which isn't bad compared to the amount of hours and days you could end up in pain. I try to look at the long term effects of my actions if I don't go and it isn't worth avoiding treatment, no matter how scared I have felt at times.

I hope you make it to your appointment good luck :clover::clover::clover:

Also if you look on this forum you will find that this is the only post that recommends not being numbed and there are many hundreds that have differing views. It would be a shame to let one post stop you getting treatment. Are you sure you aren't just using this as a get out :butterfly:
 
This post done by getting there is not irresponsible in my opinion because although I don't agree with what they are advising everyone to do it is their opinion and they state that this works for them. I say good that they have found a way they can get treatment and if it works for them I am all for it. But as I said it isn't for me or a lot of other people either.

I wish I could just go along and get all my treatments done without the numbing but I can't so although it is annoying I want it every time if it means I don't feel anything. I also acknowledge that you adamjames2 are entitled to your opinion and your fears are very real and valid to you but we all have different experiences and fears of visiting the dentist and what works for one doesn't work for all.

I hope you don't cancel your appointment as it will leave you in pain and possible further infection. It is two to three hours of dis-comfort being numb that you have to get through which isn't bad compared to the amount of hours and days you could end up in pain. I try to look at the long term effects of my actions if I don't go and it isn't worth avoiding treatment, no matter how scared I have felt at times. ...
I hope you make it to your appointment good luck :clover::clover::clover:

Also if you look on this forum you will find that this is the only post that recommends not being numbed and there are many hundreds that have differing views. It would be a shame to let one post stop you getting treatment. Are you sure you aren't just using this as a get out :butterfly:
No I am not..it is one thing to share what works for you but there is no need to start using capitals highlighting things as if they 100% factual...
 
I am really pleased that you will be attending your appointment and not letting this put you off. The thing is that this forum is for everyone to voice their experiences and views and as I said I don't agree with this poster. But I think they have posted their success story and are free to do so. This worked for them.

I do understand how it has upset you and I am sorry for that but we are all normal lay people just trying to help each other without judgement or reppraisals.

The only factual advice you will get that is 100% correct for you is from your dentist. The dentists on here are fully qualified and do sometimes give advice but without seeing a person it is only an opinion as they will be the first to tell you.

This forum is not to diagnose or cure oral problems it is to hopefully give nervous people support with getting treatment and as I said one size does not fit all.

This worked for getting there and it is very pleasing that they have managed to get treatment. I have never heard of this before as I also stated. The reason I added to this thread in the first place was so that anyone coming along like yourself would not think this was factual. I made a point of saying so.

I understand you are afraid of being numb but it is for only a short time and if it means that you can get the treatment you need then if you could just manage to go along it would make you feel really good about yourself and also keep you out of pain.

I wish you well :butterfly:
 
Thank you to the people replying to this thread that obviously read my previous post all the way through and were not on a rampage to attack everything they see,to the rest of you that feel they can put words in my mouth.....shame.I didnt say PEOPLE SHOULDN'T USE LIDOCAINE I said WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF YOU DO.Iand how dare you try to make me feel bad for informing people on the risks,would u rather leave people in the dark about information that could change there lives.what am I supposed to say "the dentist office is filled with candy and ballons and rainbows"a and wait for theM to find out different and then they REALLY never see a dentist again and RELLY never trust anyone cause they were lied to.I certainly will not,! My goal with posting this was to show people that even WITHOUT lidocaine dental procedures are tolerable and tell people why I dont use lidocaine so I could maybe prevent someone from a lifetime of numbness.and yeah im pissed about people who posted things that made me needlessly panic for months after reading there info because they said id need GENERAL ANESTHESIA to get a filling done.how could u not understand those points .I DIDNT ADVISE ANYONE TO GO WITHOUT ANESTHETIC I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THE POSSIBILITIES BEHIND THERE CHOICES INSTEAD OF LETTING THEM KNOW AFTER THE POINT.ive done nothing wrong and nothing some of you posters say will change my opinion.INFORMED DECISIONS ALL THE WAY NOT BLISSFUL IGNORANCE.and yes it is factual.....look it up....ask your dentist.permanent nerve damage can occur from lidocaine,bupivicane ect.go ahead attemp to bite my head off for warning people or trying to show people that they might not beed to worry about pain at there dental office cause some people have done what there about to do without even being numb! Ps adam james think about it this way............what would make you more hesitant to go to the dentist......the suggestion to go there more informed or going there and then not being able to taste anything for 3 months? Because I found out about lidocaines risks I was able to discover things like single tooth anesthesia ect so IF the worst happened it would only effect one tooth.and capitalized words were used in my post so if people were just skimming over it as many people do with posts they'd see the things I felt would help people the most right away.god.this is an Information sharing forum for people who are or were scared and for some of you to attack me is just SHAMEFUL. I EVEN SAID THE WORDS "for me this was how it felt" not for everyone this is how it will feel.dont attack people for sharing information or telling you something you might not wana hear but needed to.I wasn't bossy or trying to hurt anyone or force feading false information!
 
getting there, THERE IS NO NEED TO BE SHOUTING ALL THE TIME IN YOUR POSTS.

I stood up for your right to have your opinion on this subject but I feel that by attacking adamjames2 you are now guilty of the exact same thing that you are accusing others of.

I am sure that as you read through the posts on this forum that you can see that it is a friendly non scary place that has a lot of people that are terrified of different things. We all respect each others feelings and views on the many different subjects that are written about.

If adamjames2 was distressed by your post then they have the same right as you to express their views without getting the kind of reply you have addressed to them. Please refrain from attacking other posters on this forum.

I still defend your right to have your own opinion but unless you have qualifications in this subject then you cannot claim that these facts are factual.

Anyone reading this thread please follow all advise from your dentist about being numbed, they numb people's mouths in order to preform pain free treatment. It has been used for years quite safely. There are exceptions when having some treatments and people can be left with problems but that is usually after complex operations and the person would have been advised about this before. It is very very rare.

People are numbed every day for fillings, rct's and extractions with no after problems at all.

I have said before on this forum, that if you had an operation on any other part of your body you would not expect to get up and continue as normal the same day would you, but with anything to do with the mouth you can usually go about your normal day to day life the same day.

For the majority there is no need to fear being numb for any procedure. We don't stay indoors because we may get run over even though every day people do. Your dentist will discuss with you all about your treatment so do not let anything on this thread disturb you :butterfly:
 
Hi everyone,

We have to distinguish between anesthesia for a making a filling and anesthising for a tooth extraction.
in many cases it is possible to make a filling with out anesthesia (dentists have also small tricks to make possible) but with a tooth extraction anesthesia is mandatory. It is true that up until 60 years ago, in most Europeans countries (and most of the world) anesthesia was not so common and they used to extract teeth without anesthesia (having said that, it is important to ad that back then extractions took place only with acute tooth ache, when the patient was very motivated to have the tooth pulled. That was the only remedy to their misery). These days it is unthinkable to extract a tooth without anesthesia.

When a a patint tells me he is afraid of the injection, I first try to pinpoint what is the fear exactly about: fear of needles, fear of pain during the injection, fear of complications, fear of filling suffocated, fear of losing control...
When I answered to "getting there" on the first thread I tried to emphasize the notion that there is a solution to every problem. Once I can locate the exact theme of the fear, then I can search for the best solution. EVERY PROBLEM HAS A SOLUTION. Usually even more than one solution.

Let's imagine the worse case scenario: nothing helps. The patient is not willing to have the anesthesia no matter what a I tried. Then the last resort would be treatment under deep sedation or general anesthesia.
 
Hi everyone,

We have to distinguish between anesthesia for a making a filling and anesthising for a tooth extraction.
in many cases it is possible to make a filling with out anesthesia (dentists have also small tricks to make possible) but with a tooth extraction anesthesia is mandatory. It is true that up until 60 years ago, in most Europeans countries (and most of the world) anesthesia was not so common and they used to extract teeth without anesthesia (having said that, it is important to ad that back then extractions took place only with acute tooth ache, when the patient was very motivated to have the tooth pulled. That was the only remedy to their misery). These days it is unthinkable to extract a tooth without anesthesia.

When a a patint tells me he is afraid of the injection, I first try to pinpoint what is the fear exactly about: fear of needles, fear of pain during the injection, fear of complications, fear of filling suffocated, fear of losing control...
When I answered to "getting there" on the first thread I tried to emphasize the notion that there is a solution to every problem. Once I can locate the exact theme of the fear, then I can search for the best solution. EVERY PROBLEM HAS A SOLUTION. Usually even more than one solution.

Let's imagine the worse case scenario: nothing helps. The patient is not willing to have the anesthesia no matter what a I tried. Then the last resort would be treatment under deep sedation or general anesthesia.
Yep
 
I am in my 60's and have been terrified of dentists since my mother took me to one who literally pinned me down in the chair to extract a tooth after giving me numerous shots of Novacaine and insisted I was lying when I told him I wasn't Numb! It was a horrible experience and I've spent 40'years trying to getting over it. Later in life I ended up with gum disease and had to have surgery or lose all my teeth. It wasn't too bad of an experience but it did not take away my fear of the dentist and I still didn't go for regular check ups. Three years ago I had 4 broken teeth in my mouth and I finally broke down and went to the dentist again. He was a great dentist and renewed my confidence but unfortunately he moved away shortly after so I was once again Afraid to go back to a new dentist.
I recently lost a filling in my front tooth and I didn't want to have the tooth break so I made an appointment with the dentist that bought the office that I used to go to. This man was totally incredible he relieve all my fears after talking to him, he listened to my past experiences understood my fears. He and his staff were some were the most caring people I've ever met. He did the filling with no Novacaine but there was no cavity so he didn't have to drill much but since I hate the needles the most in my front teeth I agreed to try it and I felt no pain.. He told me I had 2 more cavities and that I needed a crown on a third tooth.
Since this is December and I was going to lose my dental insurance for this year he actually fit me in even though he was booked solid. Today I had two deep fillings and a crown done. He told me again he could do the fillings without any Novacaine and I was totally shocked and afraid but he promised me I would feel no pain again and if I did he would stop immediately so I decided to try it. I felt absolutely nothing as he drilled on my two teeth even though I was prepared for the pain I was totally amazed that I had none! I ask him how he could do that without me feeling pain and he said it's because he goes very slow and is meticulous about where he is drilling. I did have to have Novocaine for the crown but I never felt any pain from the needles and the numbing was gone after two hours.
I have had severe panic attacks and anxiety (not just over my fear of dentists) since I was in my 20s so having dental work was something I feared would bring on an attack but I felt so comfortable in that office and confident with what I had read about him and the reviews and his chair side manner and the way he took the time to explain everything to me. He told me that he was going to take away my fear of the dentist and made me promise I would continue to take care of my teeth in the future if he lived up to his promise of no pain. After 40 years of fearing a dentist I would go back to this man in a heartbeat and will continue to take care of my teeth. I only wished that I had done it earlier and met such a kind compassionate person. I just hope that he never moves away because I would be fearful to go to a new dentist. The no Novacaine part just blows me away and I cannot believe he gave me the courage to try it since that is the part I hate so much! If you have the right dentist and he knows how to do it I highly recommend no shots for just fillings. I am actually looking forward to my 6 month cleanings and being able to smile again with confidence! :)
 
Hi Susanna66 :welcome:to the forum.

Thank you for taking the time to write your very well written post. I am sure it will help a great many people that come along to this forum looking for reassurance and encouragement.

I think you did very well to return to the dentist, I also suffered as a small child at the hands of the dentists of the day back then and it has marred our lives. Thank goodness that now dentists understand our fears and listen to us and do all they can to help us get the treatment we need. Your dentist sounds lovely and I hope he stays so that you can continue to get treatment without fear.

All the best to you :butterfly:
 
Hello,first off id like to explain why I REFUSE to use lidocaine/novacaine
I had similar experience in childhood (about 20-25 years ago): several fillings and one root canal without local anesthesia at all.
1) Drilling for fillings is moderately painful
2) Any touch to "nerve" gives an extremly strong, intensive pain. Root canal treatment without anesthesia included putting arsenic trioxide in the canals for several days (under temporary filling). It gave about 2 hours of rather intensive pain after the first visit. At the second visit the "dead nerve" was extracted and canals were filled with resorcinol-formaldehyde resin.

So I agree that fillings can be made without anesthesia, but it is a very bad idea for root canal.
 
They drilled deep--sans injection!

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but I opted out of the injection for a deep cavity. The dentist didn't give me a hard time about it at all. I just told him I feel sick after them and need to go to work without my face being numb. I've also had bad reactions in the past to any anesthetics they would shoot up there.

I hadn't been to the dentist in 5 years, because of having dentist phobias, and I regret it because a big part of my molar broke off two times because of decay. Could have been prevented and now the dentist drilled and then filled the big hole up. He doesn't know if it will save the tooth or not, time will tell, said he thinks it will be okay. He also said he saw the nerve and it was still alive.

When he drilled, I could feel everything, but my mom, the assistant, told the dentist I have high pain tollerance. I said I could tell the nerve was still alive. It wasn't bad really and never flinched, it did feel like a live wire though. He said he was right there and asked if I was alright. He put medicine on the nerve and then put a protection over it and the filled the big hole with resin.

I was just relieved to not have any injections and walked out happy as a lark and my face isn't numb yay!
 
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Re: DEEEP fillings done 'WITH A LASER' with NO LIDOCAINE

.then he explained that the water laser sounds lound but it woul be fine.then he started.the water laser sounds like a taser BUT I felt no pain.

I think most people know that I am firmly in the 'local anaesthetic is lovely stuff' camp. It needs to be highlighted that you are talking about fillings using a laser not a conventional drill. Very few dentists would be in a position to offer that treatment. Personally I wouldn't want it even if they could. Far easier to relax if comfortably numb.
 
I had my 1st cavity filled at age 13 without Novocain or lidocaine, and it was a truly awful experience. It was not my choice. The dentist told my mom I didn’t need it but I felt everything. It’s amazing I didn’t pass out. He used some kind of freezing agent which only worked topically and was completely useless when it came to the drilling. It seemed unnecessarily brutal. Luckily I didn’t get another cavity until middle-age. As soon as I was on my own after college I didn’t go to the dentist for about 10 years, but after that I discovered dentists are pretty normal and not like the family dentist growing up.
 
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