no painkiller dentistry

[Susanne]

I had my first filling at age 5 and the experience scarred me for life. I believe it is/was responsible for my dental phobia. I vividly recall the experience. I wasn't given a numbing injection, only a swab of topical medicine (I recall the taste of it being very similar to over-the-counter Anbesol). It did little to numb me and on top of already being frightened and not being allowed to have my mother in the room while my tooth was being filled, the experience was painful. I began to cry out of fear and pain, and the dentist ignored my pleas to stop and "Please, I want my mommy!" He grew quite angry with me and clamped his hand down over my mouth and nose -- apparently a common practice then in the early 1980s -- while growling at me that if I didn't shut up and stop crying, he was going to pull my tooth out. ?

 

[Hellga]

When I was a child in the 80s in USSR, I don't recall ever having receiving painkillers for my dental work. I have a high pain threshold, though, so I don't remember fillings being all that painful.

I react very strongly to local anesthesia, where the effects wouldn't go away for seven-eight hours, thank goodness now there is a reversal agent which can take away the effects of anesthetic in half an hour or so. Local anesthesia + reversal is the best, but choosing between a short time of intense pain or long time of low-level discomfort, I might choose the former over the latter and forgo local anesthesia for some work...