Ive been going to the dentist for the past 2 months for a root canal.?!
Question:
Ive been going to the dentist for the past 2 months for a root canal.?
The first time I had an infection so he just packed the tooth and sent me home with antibiotics. The next time he gave me injections in the gum but when he went to drill I thought my head exploded....it was soooo incredibly painful. I nearly had an anxiety attack(no lie) He stopped right there and packed the tooth again with something that deadends the nerve. I went again last night and he again injected my gums then went to drill. He got half of the nerves out(3) and then I started jumping all over again....it was like electricity shooting through me. He injected stright down into the nerves(which I felt) and tried again but no luck. He says he's using a very strong injection that works on 99% of patients....so how come its not working on me? I'm scared to pieces now of sitting in that chair again...its like torture. I dont want to lose the tooth but this is insane. He said he would look for something stronger but that it might not be as safe. That doesnt sound good. Any ideas?
Answers:
Is it a lower-jaw molar, by any chance?
Lower-jaw molars can be difficult to numb. If the dentist gives you an injection but you don't feel half of your lower lip go numb, don't let him start working on the tooth. The lower lip is controlled by the same nerve as the lower molars, so if the lip isn't numb, the molar for sure isn't numb either. If one does not get numbness in the lip, the injection is in the wrong place. The dentist needs to reinject until he gets the lip signs.
If it's an upper-jaw molar, the dentist needs to make three injections to get the tooth completely numb: Two on the cheek side of the tooth (there are two roots there), and one on the palate (the greater palatine nerve).
It's not how strong the anesthetic is, it's where it's injected that matters. I have used the standard-strength 2% Lidocaine w/ 1:100K Epinephrine or 3% Mepivicaine during all my years of practice with no problems.
Good luck, and I hope you feel better.