First Filling Ever With Numbing. TERRIFIED

[JazzyJ]

I'm just about to leave for the dentist; first filling in ten years, first filling ever that's needed numbing. I'm not there yet and I already want to throw up. I feel like I'm going to pass out, I can't cope with this. I really hope it doesn't hurt. Everyone in my family has told me theirs didn't hurt, but somehow I feel like I'll end up being unlucky. Everyone think positive thoughts for me, because I am absolutely terrified. I hope it doesn't hurt, it's just my worst fear.

 

[Aldridge]

I bet you are back by now, but I hope everything went really well for you.

 

[JazzyJ]

Well, I chickened out got there, sat in the chair, opened my mouth for the needle and backed out last minute. I thought the needle would be the easiest part, but it's not. Needle phobia still managed to kick in. I'm going back in six days. I feel like such a loser, I even burst into tears in the waiting room after I backed out lol. So everyone, what's the needle like? I've only ever had blood tests in my arms and legs before, so this is completely new for me. I closed my eyes, but I knew what was going to happen so still freaked out. I feel disappointed.

 

[Aldridge]

I've never had an injection in my mouth either, so I can't offer any experience there, but you are NOT a loser! At least you got there! I was supposed to go in July, but haven't even summoned up the nerve to phone the surgery yet. You are doing a darned sight better than me, so don't beat yourself up, OK? xx

 

[kitkat]

Aww JazzyJ don't beat yourself up! It gets easier with time. I have had tons of injections in my mouth in the last 10 years and I can honestly say that is not as bad as you think it's going to be. It is very different from an injection in your arm and likely you will not even feel it. I know lots of people say that about painful things to make people feel better but I am being straight honest with you in that you do not feel it and it has to do with the type of injection and tissue being injected. It is very superficial and I don't think there are as many pain receptors in the gums as there are in your arms .

I still remember my first filling after 10 years and being terrified of the injection and the dentist warned me that I may feel a small pinch or nothing at all. I felt the pressure of the needle going in like when you prick the outer most last of your finger with a pin but that was it...the only time a dental injection is painful is if the dentist injects too quickly and causes tissue trauma to the area injected. If they inject very slowly you may feel a little warmth or slight burning/tingling in that area at the most but usually I don't feel anything. You can also ask for numbing gel on your gums first to be sure you don't feel anything but I never feel it is necessary because my dentist is very good. Once in a tricky area she insisted that I use the gel first because she was worried she would hurt me so I used it that time and again the whole thing was painless. I was really surprised at how easy they are..for me the injections are the easiest part although my heart always races a little just as the injection starts but once the needle is in I'm fine and actually relax. Just a warning, a good, comfortable and skilled injection should take awhile because again the faster the anesthesia is injected, the more trauma to the tissues and the more pain there is. So don't expect it to be really quick like a shot in your arm or leg. From my experience, blood tests are 10x more painful than dental injections and if I had my choice, I would take a dental injection anyday, anytime over blood tests and injections in arms or legs.

 

[irmemac]

I know you feel bad, but look at what you DID achieve. You went there, sat in the chair, AND arranged to go back in six days! Now that's a lot of positives . You are on your way, and maybe you just pushed for a little too much too soon. So, well done so far!

I've had literally hundred of injections, and they are the easiest part of anything I've had done. I've had three dentists in recent years: the first for 22 years, the second for 2 appointments and the latest since July, but definitely for as long as he's there! No injections have hurt. This is because they have all rubbed numbing cream into my gum first, and then injected slowly. Occasionally in the past there has been a sort of dull, instant poke (not sore, just kind of like tapping your finger on your other hand). However the last ten or so injections I have felt NOTHING, absolutely nothing! And I'm a total wimp, everything hurts me. When you go, you'll be amazed at how easy it is. I've had injections all over my mouth. The injection never even cross my mind now as a thing to dread. I generally think 'Oh good, nice and numb.'

Please don't beat yourself up, you have accomplished the first step, and there are lots of people here who will read your post and be impressed that you were even able to go!

 

[JazzyJ]

Thanks all of you everyone has said the same thing, that they're painless or nowhere near as bad as a blood test. So I guess the pain isn't the worst thing, just the fact that it's completely new to me. It sounds like the second worst place to get a needle, so just psychological. I'm hoping next time I'll get it done. It's just a lot of fears to deal with all at once. First the needle, then the worry about if I'm properly numbed or not. But once it's done, I'll know it won't be as bad next time.

My brother went in immediately after me, and he came out and told me it was all absolutely fine. Needle? Hardly felt it? Drilling? Completely painless. So at least I know the dentist is actually good as well as understanding, so chances are I'm the only thing stopping the whole thing going smoothly.

 

[kitkat]

Thanks all of you everyone has said the same thing, that they're painless or nowhere near as bad as a blood test. So I guess the pain isn't the worst thing, just the fact that it's completely new to me. It sounds like the second worst place to get a needle, so just psychological. I'm hoping next time I'll get it done. It's just a lot of fears to deal with all at once. First the needle, then the worry about if I'm properly numbed or not. But once it's done, I'll know it won't be as bad next time.

My brother went in immediately after me, and he came out and told me it was all absolutely fine. Needle? Hardly felt it? Drilling? Completely painless. So at least I know the dentist is actually good as well as understanding, so chances are I'm the only thing stopping the whole thing going smoothly.

You are correct in that it is one of those things that you just have to do it and not think about it and then once you experience it once it becomes much easier. Intuitively, the concept of it seems awful. Not sure if it would help to actually watch someone do it or not because it tends to also look worse than it is so I'd maybe recommend staying away from youtube or anything like that until afterward. You actually made it much further than me! My first appointment I cancelled about an hour before I had to go! At least you made it through the door and into the chair!!! The second time I managed to do it though and so will you! Just think of that as a practice run!

This is definitely a lot for you to take on at once and I can understand that you are probably becoming overwhelmed. Perhaps a week break will be good for you to mentally prepare yourself. Just long enough to come to terms but not too long to talk yourself out of it. We tend to be our worst enemies in these situations. I'm sure that it is very reassuring to know that your brother had a positive experience. I never liked being the first in the family to "test" out new dentists to see how competent they are at performing work comfortably. My first filling after 10 years without any dental work was with a brand new dentist my family just began attending (I was a teen) and nobody had anything more than a cleaning with her yet. I was freaking out in the beginning. Fortunately, she was really lovely and didn't hurt me and also managed to calm me down so I could relax for at least the second half of the treatment.

 

[JazzyJ]

Nah, I definitely won't be watching any videos lol. I think I was so worried about the numbing not working that I was completely unprepared for the needle phobia to kick in. I'm prepared now, but still worried about how to deal with it. I've come to the logical conclusion that even if the needle hurts, who cares? It won't have been the worst pain I've been in that week, let alone ever. So it's bearable even if it is painful. But it's still psychological. So I freaked out last time because I couldn't keep my mouth open, I just kept closing it so he couldn't do the injection. I don't really know how to force myself to keep my mouth open and eyes closed, knowing that any second he'll be injecting me. That's the hard part. Well, ONE of the hard parts lol. Any tips?

Also, I read that being nervous can stop the numbing from working. Does this mean it won't work at all, or that it may not last as long?

 

[kitkat]

Nah, I definitely won't be watching any videos lol. I think I was so worried about the numbing not working that I was completely unprepared for the needle phobia to kick in. I'm prepared now, but still worried about how to deal with it. I've come to the logical conclusion that even if the needle hurts, who cares? It won't have been the worst pain I've been in that week, let alone ever. So it's bearable even if it is painful. But it's still psychological. So I freaked out last time because I couldn't keep my mouth open, I just kept closing it so he couldn't do the injection. I don't really know how to force myself to keep my mouth open and eyes closed, knowing that any second he'll be injecting me. That's the hard part. Well, ONE of the hard parts lol. Any tips?

This may sound really counter-intuitive but it actually helps me to keep my eyes open because I feel a little more in control and know when it's coming. Do not be afraid of seeing the needle if you do not want to see it. Dentists are very good about keeping things out of line of sight so even if your eyes are open you should not see anything "scary" looking. My dentist speaks to me throughout the injection to distract me which helps immensely! sometimes it's to reassure me, praise how well I'm doing, what I may feel or what she plans to do next, how much longer is left til she's done, and just checking in to see if I am okay with the injection and comfortable. Other times she just rambles about some random topic if I appear relatively relaxed. Sometimes I try to focus on music if there is any playing, count in my head, meditate and focus on my breathing, and/or focus on relaxing all of the muscles in my body from head to toe.

I can understand your own frustration with mentally willing yourself to keep your mouth open. One time, a serious wave of nervousness came over me just before drilling started even though I seemed numb enough (I share the fear of not being numb enough or staying numb) and would open my mouth but my lips would tremble/flutter uncontrollably to the point where the dentist was afraid to work on me. I was so embarrassed and there was just nothing I could do about it. She tried to get me to talk to her about what I was nervous about but I was too overwhelmed and caught off guard by my own anxiety to really put it into words at that time because this was after quite a few treatments with her. She ended up just giving me a few minutes to compose myself and we tried biting on a bite block to relax my jaw and with some extra reassurance that did the trick to get me through treatment. Sometimes the fear comes on fast and strong though and you aren't even expecting or prepared for your own reactions.

Also, I read that being nervous can stop the numbing from working. Does this mean it won't work at all, or that it may not last as long?

When you are nervous, your body produces a lot of adrenaline in what is called "Fight or Flight" mode. Adrenaline can make local anesthesia wear off or less effective but realistically, you would have to produce a lot of adrenaline to completely counteract it. In my personal experience, I do feel that appointments where I have been extremely nervous I feel like the anesthetic does sometimes wear off more quickly and I end up using a stop-signal and requesting more but it has never just stopped working entirely or failed to work at all. The wonderful thing about local anesthesia is that is easy to request more as needed . Also, if anesthesia begins to fail you will know before you are hit with any intense pain...the most you would feel is some uncomfortable twinging or sensitivity and then you know you need to call a time-out because either they are approaching an area that is not as numb as it should be or the numbing is starting to wear off. There is a spectrum of sensation though, it is not all numb or nothing at all...there is a lot of grey. I think this issue also has a lot of psychological components as well because studies have also shown that sensations such as pressure, vibration, and temperature change have been misinterpreted by the brain as painful when the person expects pain and nervous people tend to have a higher expectation of experiencing pain during dental treatment. My dentist talking me through procedures really, really helps in this area because again, I feel more in control and she will warn me about upcoming sensations so they already have a name/title/label before I experience them and it replaces my anticipation of unexpected pain so overall, I'm just much more relaxed. Having a stop-signal and knowing that I can trust my dentist to stop when I ask makes a big difference too because I know that if the numbing does fail me there is something that I can do about it immediately.

 

[sajero2]

I am not a fan of getting numbed either, but really, it's not that bad, I promise. What I do is close my eyes right away. Just keep them closed until you know they're done. In fact, I keep my eyes closed during any procedure; it just helps to not see instruments and things. Especially once you're numb, if you close your eyes, you can't always tell they're even working in your mouth! It helps me to separate myself from the situation.

And like someone else said, my dentist puts some numbing stuff on first with a cotton swab and that helps a lot with any pain. If you feel anything it's really minor. Just keep your eyes closed!!

Go back in and get it taken care of if you haven't. You will feel SO relieved when it's over!!

 

[JazzyJ]

My appointment was yesterday but I had to cancel. Unrelated to the phobia, fortunately, just haven't been feeling well at all recently. It's now in a couple of weeks. Gives me time to buy an MP3 player (I have three, and all are somehow broken). When I used to get blood tests, I used to listen to music to help. I don't need the music now, but I think it'll help get me past the initial anxiety.

KitKat, I know you said it won't go from completely numb to full-on pain, which is reassuring, but I know people have told me that although you can't feel pain, you can feel the pressure. So how do you know you're numb? If the dentist pokes your teeth to ask if you can feel it, you'd still be able to feel that he's touching your teeth, so how will you know if you're numb at all, let alone if you're suitably numb?

Sorry for all the questions, by the way. I don't really contribute on the forum in any way except to ask questions, but hopefully my appointment will go well, and then I'll be able to give advice to others in a similar position as I am now.

 

[kitkat]

KitKat, I know you said it won't go from completely numb to full-on pain, which is reassuring, but I know people have told me that although you can't feel pain, you can feel the pressure. So how do you know you're numb? If the dentist pokes your teeth to ask if you can feel it, you'd still be able to feel that he's touching your teeth, so how will you know if you're numb at all, let alone if you're suitably numb?

Our bodies have 3 different types of sensory receptors and each perform a different job for relaying signals to the brain. They are pain, pressure, and temperature. Local anesthesia affects the pain receptors only and maybe some of the pressure on a shallow level? But I think intuitively your body will just know. It's hard to explain. It will feel different before the dentist ever starts to work on your tooth and you will know whether it is numb or not simply by sitting undisturbed in the chair. The tooth will feel different when you bring your teeth together and the surrounding tissue will feel fat and/or swollen. If the numbing starts to wear off you will feel more than pressure and some sensitivity or twinging in addition to pressure. Pressure and pain will become 2 distinctively different sensations rather than all blending together. It is very hard to explain until you experience it for yourself. It's like trying to explain the color white to a blind person lol but I hope this helps. Don't worry about asking lots of questions. That is what we are here for and you are right; pretty soon you will be the one answering questions and providing reassurance. The anticipation is the worst part. Hang in there!

 

[Tink]

KitKat, I know you said it won't go from completely numb to full-on pain, which is reassuring, but I know people have told me that although you can't feel pain, you can feel the pressure. So how do you know you're numb? If the dentist pokes your teeth to ask if you can feel it, you'd still be able to feel that he's touching your teeth, so how will you know if you're numb at all, let alone if you're suitably numb?

Hi Jazzy, having experienced both (don't ask!) I can tell you that it feels quite different when you are properly numb from when you are not. For me, when it does work, there's a sense of "ahh yes, that's it, that's what it's supposed to feel like" - it will be properly out cold. The pressure is a completely different sensation from pain/discomfort, you'll know it when you feel it.

For what it's worth, the times I've doubted myself and wondered whether it really is numb or if that's just the pressure that I'm supposed to be able to feel, those were the times where it hadn't worked. When it has worked, I've been in no doubt at all that it has worked. (That's just my experience though, others may have had different)

Oh, and the bit about not going suddenly from completely numb to full-on pain is definitely true, that really can't happen. I found that reassuring too when the dentist explained it to me.


All the best, I'm sure you'll be fine And if in doubt, always tell the dentist, and ask for more anaesthetic if you need to.