# Novocaine blues... (dentist rant)



## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

I went to the dentist earlier today to have a lost filling replaced. Nothing more. He gave me a shot of Novocaine, the procedure took all of twenty minutes from start to finish and I was on my way.  I've been back home for two hours now and the entire side of my face is still numb. My lips feel thick and heavy and when my husband called he could barely understand my slurred words. I can half-feel my eyelid, which is really peculiar when I blink. I keep rubbing to get blood circulating but it's as though I have a cold, dead slab of meat where my cheek should be. And I'm so hungry, but I know I'm not supposed to eat even if I could figure out how. My daughter left a bag of barbecue potato chips out on the counter.  Torture!

What's worse is I know when feeling starts to return it will be that dreadful numb-tingly feeling and I was warned my tooth will ache for a few days simply from being drilled and repacked. 

I just want some potato chips!


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## tsilver (Aug 9, 2010)

I feel for you CE.  Hope you feel better soon and are able to enjoy the chips.  I hate going to the dentist.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I may be wrong, but I've had 18 root canals (some done more than once), as well as other dental procedures, and there's a good chance that you won't be in a lot of pain for long. Of course, everyone's pain threshhold is different, so I might be misspeaking. I've had novocaine which even made me feel as if my hair were numb. Once it's worn off, I've been ok unless I had had a root canal. I've  had a couple of fillings re-packed in the last year, and I don't remember much discomfort. Hope you have the same experience that I've had.


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## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

Thank you all.

Cindy: Eighteen root canals? Ow!  

It's starting to wear off now (I can feel a dull ache in that tooth) so I'm hoping I'll be up to eating soon. The problem is I'm up by 5 a.m. at the latest, and I've usually had breakfast before 6. So by this time of the day I'm beyond hungry. And the dentist suspected it would hurt because I hadn't known the filling was gone so it became a bit of a cavity again and was pretty deep. Any further and it would have hit the root, so he warned it would be more sensitive than normal. I just took some aspirin - I probably should have earlier. But at least my face is starting to regain feeling.


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## Tam (Jan 7, 2010)

Advice from the wife of a general (and gentle) dentist:

Novacaine effects everyone differently, and even the same person can have a different experience each time. The nerves in the face & jaw are GENERALLY in the same location, but there is a lot of variation. 

Always a good idea to take something for the pain BEFORE the numbness wears off...

Swishing warm water around in your mouth (over a sink of course since you will dribble) is a good way to get rid of the numb feeling faster. It increases blood circulation and disapates the medication from the tissues faster.

Hope you are back to normal soon!


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

I have two words for you: sedation dentistry. It's the only way to go.


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## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

Tam, thank you for the kind suggestions. I had been swishing warm chamomile tea... I suppose that had much the same effect.  I realize now I should have taken the painkiller sooner. It is taking effect now and I'm feeling better, and since I was able to eat lunch I'm much happier as well. 

I would prefer novocaine to sedation - I've been anesthetized three times since childhood and each time I found the experience terrifying beyond all I could imagine. I don't mind the dentistry part - yes, it can be uncomfortable but other than one root canal and a few fillings my experiences have been uneventful. I'd only wished I'd eaten prior to going so I wouldn't be so hungry afterward.  And the novocaine is such a strange, peculiar feeling. When I had my wisdom teeth pulled, even my eyes went numb! That was weird!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I had one that was pretty deep and near the root, and I did have an aching in the tooth for awhile.  I'd vote for the ibuprofen, as well. Best wishes to you. Hope you get to eat soon.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I don't get it.  A few years ago I had to have a bunch of dental work done:  a number of them had to go, 2 - 3 root canals, etc., etc.  All were pulled at the same time.  As much of canal work done at one time as could.  Novocaine.  That's it.  No problems with it.  When teeth were pulled, dentist wrote script for two valium.  I didn't feel the need.  Dentist insisted I take one.  Don't think that was necessary.  I wasn't worried or scared.  During procedures, dentist kept saying I have a high pain tolerance.  What pain?  Never had any.  

But I'm looking for a new dentist.  Do NOT like the way he runs his practice.  His FORMER receptionist was truly bad.  Again, FORMER.

Many years ago when I had first root canal, tooth was so far gone I had NOTHING at all for pain.  Didn't need it.  Felt nothing.  

I can't help it . . . .  I've had one major surgery and a few minors.  I figure I'd survive.  Nothing to worry about.  NO pain or problems with any surgery.


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## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

I'm happy to say I'm feeling much better... no more novocaine numb and my tooth is only the slightest bit sensitive. It isn't even bothering me enough to need ibuprofen, though I did manage to convince the husband I couldn't chew anything tough and Chinese take-out was the perfect dinner.  

Sandpiper, you're quite fortunate, though normally I'm not too bad, though I did feel this. I was well into my 40's before I needed my wisdom teeth pulled, and then only because one had a small cavity but it would have been easier to pull than fill, it was just a quick shot of novocaine and I was fine. This tooth was sensitive, the dentist said, because the cavity was so deep.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I tend to fall asleep in the dentist chair.  It's worried a few dentists I've had until they figure me out. 

My current guy usually gives me a minimal dosage of Novocaine for work because he knows I'm fairly tolerant to pain.  When I get a crown I don't get anything when I go in to switch the temp out for the permanent.  When I had wisdom teeth pulled maybe 3 years ago, I pretty much used just ibuprofen afterward.  I had a 'script for Vicodin, and I took one on a day when I had to actually go out and about -- I could totally see how people could become addicted because, suddenly none of my usual tweaks and twinges were there.  I felt like I could run a marathon - - and I hate running!  So I just let that wear off and stuck to the ibuprofen.  Decided it'd have to be excruciating before I'd go there again!


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## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

Too funny, Ann.

While I'm in the chair I'm pretty relaxed... it's afterward, that whole numb face thing that feels so weird. I was given Vicodin a few years back with a broken toe, but it didn't really seem to have any effect on me one way or another. The pain hurt a bit less, but beyond that there was nothing remarkable. After the first dose I just stuck with ibuprofen, which seemed to help more.


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

I have more dental work in my mouth than the cost of a new car, I swear.  There is a great prescrip drug which is great for dental procedures- Ketoprophen.  Also, and this was many moons ago , I found that smoking pot really helped dental procedures, well most procedures...

Also, I know for a fact that giving novacaine shots is all in the technique.  I finally found a dentist who is wonderful.  He explained to me that most dentists go way too fast giving the Novacaine, when they need to slow down and do it a little at a time.  Love the guy.

Root canals? Wait til you've had a few go-rounds with the periodontist.  Floss everyone!!


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Oh yes, the fun dead face feeling. I stopped counting the root canals I had and I have crowns, fillings on about every other tooth. I think only a few bottom teeth don't have been touched yet. 

I learned to watch my drooling. Last crowns I got, I sit there on the sofa petting a cat while we watch TV and hubby is like, um you are drooling.  . I didn't even notice my face meat felt so dead. 

I don't know what shots I get, is that all the same? I always take gel filled advils about 30 minutes- hour before I feel the stuff wearing off. 

My problem is that sometimes my nerves come really alive for days after a procedure and I have TMJ. Its like all activated and so its back to advils. 

I am glad I like my dentist. 

And yes spotsmom, peridonal procedures are even more fun than root canals. Holy moly they go down to the bone.  

I should have had dentures. Lot less money. Just rip them out.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I love my Dentist. It had been 10 years since I went to the Dentist and I was more then a bit worried. I ended up with 5 minor cavities which he took care of in two trips.

For the record, I didn't go during grad school due to lack of funds. That and the dentist has always been a painful experience for me. I had a really bad case of TMJ in high school. My first dentist told me that I should stop locking my jaw intentionally because it was bad for me and did not believe me when I told him I wasn't doing it on purpose. We moved to California and the new dentist immediately identified TMJ and sent me to a specialist. By that time I would have to physically manipulate my jaw to unlock it. 

Cleans have always been painful because I cannot hold the mouth open for all that long. The one dentist I went to after graduate school (a tooth broke) used a bite block and that helped a ton. But my cleanings always took two trips and and hour each time because I struggled even with the bite block.

The new dentist told me that I had a small mouth and used a child size bite block. My cleaning took one trip and one hour because I was not in massive pain. When he did the fillings he gave me a break every 5 minutes or so.

So yeah for new dentist who gets TMJ and figured out that an adult bite block was too big. 

The plus was I had no real pain after the fillings went in. He was impressed that I didn't need any major work done after such a long time and said I had very hard enamel. I think it is the four liters of tea I drink on an average day and all the extra fluoride.


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## valleycat1 (Mar 15, 2011)

When I was a kid I had to have a lot of fillings done, & my mom always took me for a milkshake at the drugstore soda fountain counter afterwards.  Much later in life another dentist filled a tooth that he couldn't get totally numb - that was LOADS of fun.  He finally just drilled as fast as he could, but that half of my face was numb like yours for a long time due to all the additional shots he gave me. Took myself out for a milkshake after that one!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

valleycat1 said:


> When I was a kid I had to have a lot of fillings done, & my mom always took me for a milkshake at the drugstore soda fountain counter afterwards. Much later in life another dentist filled a tooth that he couldn't get totally numb - that was LOADS of fun. He finally just drilled as fast as he could, but that half of my face was numb like yours for a long time due to all the additional shots he gave me. Took myself out for a milkshake after that one!


When I was a kid, my mom had my dentist fill my cavities without any novocaine. She didn't like it novocaine, so she thought I wouldn't either. I was fairly old (in grade school) when I found out that my friends didn't have to have their teeth filled without deadening the area. I wasn't a fan of the actual novocaine shots, but they sure beat having teeth filled w/o them. (I've had a couple of infected teeth that the dentist wasn't able to numb completely, so I know what you're talking about.) My dentist (whom I really like a lot) asks me if "it hurts" when he's working on my teeth. If I tell him no, he says, "Oh, darn!" and then smiles his evil toothy smile and laughs his evil laugh.


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## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

I've noticed that while no one looks forward to dental work, it seems most of us here are fond of our particular dentists. I'm sure it must be, for the most part, a thankless job and I can't help but think of Steve Martin in Little Shop of Horrors as the twisted dentist. No one likes the discomfort, though the alternative is worse and it seems most dentists are considerate and understanding of our fears of needles and drills in our mouths.


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## JoeMitchell (Jun 6, 2010)

My true dental horror story...
The last time I saw my dentist, I'd made an emergency appointment to have him fix a root canal that had gone wrong and started abscessing.  It's an infection at the root that swells and gets very painful, like a pimple that's under pressure and can't burst because it's under the tooth.  I asked him to pull it and he said he'd have to refer me to an oral surgeon.  In the meantime, he could fix the cap he'd installed, which had somehow come loose and started wiggling.  He then proceeded to ignore the abscessed tooth and remove the cap on the other tooth to fix it.  He decided that the post needed to be re-set, so he pulled it and re-drilled it and put it back in before sending me home with a referral to see an oral surgeon.  That night, the new work he'd done started to abscess as well, I knew, when the novocaine wore off and the pain kept growing stronger.  I called the oral surgeon to make an appointment and was told I'd have to wait six weeks for an opening.
"But this is an emergency.  Abscesses can be fatal, and I think I have two of them now.  I'm worried I might die from this."
"Everyone who calls here is having an emergency," the receptionist told me.  "I'm sorry, we can't schedule you any time sooner."

This was the start of what I'd call 'the month of sleepless agony," during which time I could sleep only a couple or three hours per day, spending the rest of the time biding my time, eating acetaminophen at a rate that probably caused damage to my liver, because I had no other choice.  The dentist wouldn't prescribe any real pain killers.  The oral surgeons, I tried three of them, wouldn't give me a sooner appointment.  My face swelled up from the infection and I could barely speak.  It was like my mouth was filled cotton.  More precisely, it was like I had a plump grape stuffed between my lower lip and gum, on the left side.  It wasn't a grape though, it was a painful infection swelling the whole side of my face.  I tried stabbing it repeatedly, but that didn't help much.  I was sick from the infection, and I felt like I wasn't going to survive to finish writing my novel.  It was one of the darkest times of my life, when I felt most hopeless.  No one cared, except my wife, who could only look on and try to help me cope with the pain and the the soul crushing heartlessness of it all.  During this month, on three separate occasions, I thought I'd found help and went to have the tooth pulled, only to be turned away and sent back home to suffer more.  One time, it was my dentist.  I went to have it pulled, and instead, they tried to fit me for a partial plate, cramming this thing into my mouth despite the pain and swelling, and then, after that torture, telling me that no, actually they couldn't pull the tooth.  They just wanted to fit me.  Unbelievable!!  The second time, I saw a new dentist who insisted that I show him a written referral from another dentist, not a family practitioner.  I had two referrals, one for abscess #1 from my dentist, and one from my family doctor for abscess #2, the really bad one that was just starting to swell my face.  So dentist #2 tells me he'll take the first referral, but not the second.  Meanwhile, it had been over two weeks and abscess #1 had cleared up on its own.  Dentist #2 (an oral surgeon) seemed like he didn't even believe that I had an abscessed tooth, like I just wanted my tooth pulled out for kicks.  I later reported this dentist to the hospital administration, since I really did have two referrals in writing, but nothing came of it.  Dentist #3, another oral surgeon, gave me an appointment to pull the tooth.  I had to drive about 30 miles to get there for my appointment, in pain because I'd been fasting and couldn't take any tylenol.  When I got there, the office was closed.  "Closed due to impending snow storm."  I had just driven 30 miles and it had just started snowing, but those jokers cleared out of the office hours earlier and didn't bother to notify patients with appointments that afternoon.  Oops.  I drove back home to suffer through that weekend, sitting on my couch, staring at the walls and ceiling, taking 500mg of acetaminophen every hour on the hour as I had been for weeks.  Finally, on the following monday, I went back to Dentist #3 and he was there this time.  They put me to sleep and he removed the tooth and drained the abscess, just like that.  I really thought I was going to die, right up until I woke up.  It was like a miracle.  A new lease on life.  I shook the dentist's hand and thanked him for saving me.  I don't think he understood how distraught I was, and how much I'd suffered.  Now, just over a year later, I still feel weird twinges in my jaw left over from the infection I lived with for a month.  I've never spoken to Dentist #1 again after he caused the two abscess and washed his hands of it, refusing to even prescribe pain killers, as if that was some kind of admission of guilt for the shoddy work he'd done to cause two abscesses.  I still wish I could find some justice.  Dentists #1 and #2 were uncaring and treated me as an object, allowing me to suffer needlessly for weeks on end.  I despise them both.  Dentist #3 saved my life, but only after I tricked my way into an earlier appointment, and after the bait and switch of having me drive there on a friday and closing the office before I could get there, forcing me to wait through the weekend before I could try it again.  I need to find a new dentist now, since it's been over a year, but I don't want to.  I don't want anything to do with them.  I wish I was rich enough to hire a lawyer to make those bastards pay for what they did to me.  For the pain and suffering they caused me and my wife.  I still think about it almost every day when I feel those weird twinges in my jaw.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Glad you're feeling better now, C.E. I don't like that numbing business either but I guess it's preferable to the alternative. Sometimes I imagine how it must've been before dentists had pain killers at their disposal... Then I stop imagining because it hurts to think about it.


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## Tam (Jan 7, 2010)

JoeMitchell said:


> My true dental horror story...


I'm not a dentist, only the wife of one, but I am totally floored by your experience. I don't even know where to start... Were you ever on an antibiotic for the infections? It probably IS a wonder you didn't die from walking around all that time with a swollen face. I've worked in my husband's office for years and I can tell you that most dentists do not treat people that way. We have on *rare* occasions closed the office for weather issues but we always notify patients and have stayed to wait for anyone we can't reach. The whole idea of needing a referral to see on Oral Surgeon just boggles my mind - unless it was a medical insurance issue with the anesthesia... The only thing I would argue with you about it your belief that your first dentist somehow *caused* your abcesses. Teeth go bad all the time. The nerve in a tooth can die with no visible cavity there just because of all the pounding our teeth take over the years. But I don't blame you for not trusting the profession after your awful experiences. I hope you're able to find a good dentist soon - they ARE out there, believe me!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

cegrundler said:


> I've noticed that while no one looks forward to dental work, it seems most of us here are fond of our particular dentists. I'm sure it must be, for the most part, a thankless job and I can't help but think of Steve Martin in Little Shop of Horrors as the twisted dentist. No one likes the discomfort, though the alternative is worse and it seems most dentists are considerate and understanding of our fears of needles and drills in our mouths.


My dentist is a hoot, and I always leave his office with a smile on my face (unless my face is numb).  My dentist loves to say that his favorite role model is Steve Martin's character in The Little Shop of Horrors, with a touch of Tim Conway thrown in. (Conway's portrayal of a dentist on The Carol Burnett Show is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.)

Here's a dental laugh for everyone. Enjoy!


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## JoeMitchell (Jun 6, 2010)

Tam said:


> I'm not a dentist, only the wife of one, but I am totally floored by your experience. I don't even know where to start... Were you ever on an antibiotic for the infections? It probably IS a wonder you didn't die from walking around all that time with a swollen face. I've worked in my husband's office for years and I can tell you that most dentists do not treat people that way. We have on *rare* occasions closed the office for weather issues but we always notify patients and have stayed to wait for anyone we can't reach. The whole idea of needing a referral to see on Oral Surgeon just boggles my mind - unless it was a medical insurance issue with the anesthesia... The only thing I would argue with you about it your belief that your first dentist somehow *caused* your abcesses. Teeth go bad all the time. The nerve in a tooth can die with no visible cavity there just because of all the pounding our teeth take over the years. But I don't blame you for not trusting the profession after your awful experiences. I hope you're able to find a good dentist soon - they ARE out there, believe me!


Thanks. I was on strong antibiotics the whole time, prescribed by dentist #1, then my family doctor, then dentist #3. I know abscesses just happen sometimes, but in this case, both developed on the night following root canals with a few days between. The dentist was in a hurry when he replanted the post and caused abscess #2. I don't think he cleaned it out good enough before sealing it up. I've had three abscesses in my life, and each time, it was immediately after getting a root canal.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

JoeMitchell said:


> Thanks. I was on strong antibiotics the whole time, prescribed by dentist #1, then my family doctor, then dentist #3. I know abscesses just happen sometimes, but in this case, both developed on the night following root canals with a few days between. The dentist was in a hurry when he replanted the post and caused abscess #2. I don't think he cleaned it out good enough before sealing it up. I've had three abscesses in my life, and each time, it was immediately after getting a root canal.


Wow. I've had 18 root canals (and two surgeries across the front of my lower jaw), and the original root canals (some were re-done years after the first ones were done when I was a kid) were always necessary because I already had abscesses. I guess everyone is different. Sorry you had such horrible experiences, Joe.

As for me, I have just learned to live with the fact that I have a genetic predisposition to abscessed teeth. (My dentist sent films to one of the top endodentists in the country because the top guy didn't think what I have could be genetic. Once he saw panos belonging to me, my daughter, my sister, my dad, and some cousins, he changed his mind. The theory behind ours is that there seems to be a narrowing in the interior part of our jaws, causing, I think, possibly an inadequate blood supply and/or nerve damage.) Anyway, I'm resigned to my fate, and am happy that I have a dentist in whom I have complete trust and for whom I have enormous respect.


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

Joe, your story is a true nightmare!  I think I would have walked in an oral surgeon's door with my face looking like that and said "I have to wait a month for you to fix this?"

A periodontist I went to prescribed Clindomyacin (a strong antibiotic) and I ended up getting colitis difficile.  Cost of the pill to stop the C-Difficile? Try SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS.  Good thing I have super insurance.

My dental horror story goes back to the early 60's when old school dentists weren't always very good (much less caring).  To pull my upper wisdom teeth, the dentist shot me up with novacaine, pulled out a pair of pliers, and wrenched back and forth on the tooth until it came out.  Talk about rough!

Until about 10 years ago I swear I needed nitrous just to make an appointment!  Too many horrible memories, bad novacaine shots, etc.  I am so lucky I completely trust my dentist now.


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## JoeMitchell (Jun 6, 2010)

spotsmom said:


> My dental horror story goes back to the early 60's when old school dentists weren't always very good (much less caring). To pull my upper wisdom teeth, the dentist shot me up with novacaine, pulled out a pair of pliers, and wrenched back and forth on the tooth until it came out. Talk about rough!
> 
> Until about 10 years ago I swear I needed nitrous just to make an appointment! Too many horrible memories, bad novacaine shots, etc. I am so lucky I completely trust my dentist now.


I wish I had a doctor/dentist I could trust like that. I did once, but I've moved around a lot, so I end up with random people whenever I go. Did the pliers extraction hurt? So long as it's numb enough, I don't really care how much tugging and pulling is involved.

A funny story related to that...when I lived in Florida back in 2000ish, I had to have a tooth extracted by my new dentist who was also an oral surgeon. He used the same kind of pliers technique, even commenting on it as he wrenched the tooth left and right, saying it just had to be loosened up and it'd pop right out. The tooth was already loose to begin with, so it came out pretty easy. The funny/sad part though, was the aftermath when he gave me the bill, telling me that it wasn't covered under my insurance. I was covered for simple extractions, but he'd billed it as a surgical extraction, and charged me over $600 for what should have been free. I called him out on it, asking how it didn't qualify as a simple extraction. There was no surgery involved, just novacaine and pliers. His response was that technically, something had been removed from my body, which made it a surgical procedure. I argued some more, but he insisted, so I told him flat out that if he didn't bill it as a simple extraction and take the money from my insurance, I promised I would never pay the bill as a matter of principle and he'd get nothing. So I never paid him, and he's probably still ripping people off.


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## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

Joe, your story reminds me of something similar a friend went through, right down to the dentist flat out refusing to pull the tooth and weeks of waiting for an oral surgeon as the infection worsened. To this day he still calls dentist butchers, and having endured what he did I can't blame him. 

My dentist pulled my wisdom teeth with the novocaine/pliers method and they came out with no complications. I didn't know there was any other way.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

My dentist sent me to an endodentist to have a root canal performed on a back tooth. A few months later, the tooth started giving me problems. I went to my dentist, he determined that the tooth must have had a deep fracture that wasn't visible on x-rays. To make a long story short, my dentist pulled the tooth. When I asked if I could at least have it to put under my pillow in hopes that the tooth fairy would leave me some money (since I'd spent so much on the tooth), my dentist told me that he was going to refund all of the money that I had paid him for work he'd done on that tooth. (He was unable to do anything about the money that I paid the endodentist, but I understood that.) Anyway, he gave me every penny back. I love my dentist.


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