I hope you can help me with some good information. I really need reliable advice, and just can’t seem to find a dentist that I can really talk to about this.
I have always had a real problem with Novocain. Specifically, it doesn’t work for me. Not at ALL. I’ve been to no less than five different dentists in my life, and have not found one single one that believes me when I tell them this. I swear, I am not just being wimpy. Every single time I have to have Novocain, it doesn’t work to make my mouth numb. I can ALWAYS feel whatever the dentist is doing.
I’ve been avoiding going to the dentist for a couple of years now, and I have a pretty good idea that I need some significant work done. I have a dental bridge that is loose, and am pretty sure I have at least two cavities. I would like to have those white fillings, but my last dentist didn’t do them.
I really need a forward thinking, sympathetic dentist. How can I find one?
Thanks,
Toby in Orlando
Dear Toby,
Though it it not a well understood phenomenon, some patients have to be sedated before numbing drugs work for them. Increased anxiety decreases the effectiveness of drugs like Novocain, so sedatives are necessary to reduce the anxiety so the numbing drugs work.
You need to seek the services of a sedation dentist, to find someone who is sympathetic to the complex issues of pain and anxiety. You may also want to search for a “mercury free dentist“, to find a dentist who is trained and skilled in placing the white fillings you refer to.
Post courtesy of Dr. Currie, York PA cosmetic dentist.