7 ms·

As a kid, I had a dentist who refused to use local anaesthesia, he thought it was 'bullshit' and I shouldn't be able to feel anything. The pain was indescribabl

by Aaargh20318 10y ago

As a kid, I had a dentist who refused to use local anaesthesia, he thought it was 'bullshit' and I shouldn't be able to feel anything. The pain was indescribable. I'm still traumatised by it and haven't been to the dentist in years. I would literally shit my pants out of fear (not exaggerating here, I would have to wear a diaper to undergo regular treatment even with local anaesthetics). Just the though of being operated on while fully conscious gives me the shivers. The only thing I can image being scarier is when they have to do brain surgery and they wake you up halfway through while your skull is open. I'm currently on a waiting list for a specialist at the local hospital where they can treat you under general anaesthesia. It's the only way I can be treated after my childhood experiences. unfortunately the waiting list is long. I just hope it's my turn before something starts to really hurt. I had one treatment under GA before, about 8 years ago, and it was the first and only non-traumatic dentist experience in my life. It was such a huge difference with the 'regular' experience that I simply can't understand why dentists insist on letting people experience the torture. I think they are all secretly sadists that get off on hurting people. I'm not trying to scare you, just make sure your kid is okay with it because it could fuck him up for life.

wil421 10y ago
My friend was in the Marines and had to get is wisdom teeth removed. Lucky for him they were training Marine dentist at his base. He said they wiped some type of numbing gel and proceeded to grab his wisdom teeeth out with pliers. The trainee couldn't get them out so the instructor climbed on his chest and yanked them out.
- wmblaettler 10y ago
  I can confirm. I had the same experience minus the trainee. Had my wisdom teeth extracted while in the Marines. It was over in less than 30 seconds - no time for anesthesia to kick in nor do I remember him administering any. Crack, crack, yank - done.
  - sandworm101 10y ago
    Much depends on the position of the teeth. Pulling some with pliers would cause so much bleeding that choking could kill the patient (teeth still well below gum line).
    - derefr 10y ago
      You could just do the operation with the patient laying face-down on a massage table (the kind with a head-hole), so that the blood runs out of their mouth instead of down their throat. Might be a lot of blood loss, though; you'd want to wear goggles while doing the yanking. :)
- thearn4 10y ago
  My wisdom teeth happened to come in pretty straight and level. When I was in the Army, the dentist there suggested having them taken out during AIT (primary MOS training school), but it wasn't an order. I nope'd right out of that because I had heard about a dozen stories like yours.
- TallGuyShort 10y ago
  My wisdom tooth extraction was a minor disaster. I have an extremely sensitive gag reflex, and the surgeon just couldn't do his job. Had to knock me out.
pc86 10y ago
Go to the dentist, you do not want bad teeth. Brushing and flossing 2x/day is not always enough (and 1x almost never is).
- redirectleft 10y ago
  Can confirm. 23 years old, 5 years no dentist, aggressive paradontosis with 2 teeth already dead and a lot of gum recession. Can't eat apples or steaks any more. Go to your god damn dentist.
  - notheguyouthink 10y ago
    I feel your pain, i'm in a similar boat with less excuse. Any recommendations for choosing a dentist? I've got a lot of work to be done, so i want someone competent, friendly, etc. I fear price gouging for something that is already more expensive than i can afford. I've got so much work to be done i need to construct a long term "game plan" with this to-be dentist. So, yea. edit: I should add a bit of "dentist phobia" as well, i suppose. I don't claim it normally, but my heart is racing just reading this thread -_-
    - redirectleft 10y ago
      I live in Europe so I unfortunately cannot recommend ways to find the best dentist in the states. Dentists here choose depending on need first because a lot is covered by insurance anyway. However you should definitely see more than one dentist and ask all of them for a care plan. It's called therapy and cost plan here, there surely is something similar everywhere. By the way, don't be scared. I have no excuse also, and thats very liberating. Distance yourself from the story in the head - for it is root of all suffering in this world. Underneath, everything is and is okay like that.
  - was_boring 10y ago
    30, haven't been to a dentist in 9 years. Scared to go, but no pain or bleeding. I brush every other day... That being said, I've had a lot of work done -- the front to half of most of my teeth is fake. The fake enamel saved my molars. I know this because my last dentist was a preventative and let's fixa problem when it is a problem type, not an aggressive one. I do not understand why fake enamel is not standard. It works -- I'm proof. It's almost like dentist want you to suffer and use their services.
maxerickson 10y ago
A big part of it is that going under general anesthesia is more dangerous than not going under general anesthesia. It's also more expensive than a vial of lidocaine and takes longer. I had a filling put in last year. Local anesthetic only. No pain. Took about 20 minutes.
- dkersten 10y ago
  I've had a few procedures done over the past year (root canal, extraction, wisdom-tooth extraction) all under local anaesthetic. Quick and painless, just like your experience.
- Aaargh20318 10y ago
  The pain is not the issue, being stuck in the chair is. I get really anxious just getting a haircut.
  - maxerickson 10y ago
    I was not trying to tell you how you should experience dental treatment. I did feel it was useful to respond to It was such a huge difference with the 'regular' experience that I simply can't understand why dentists insist on letting people experience the torture. I think they are all secretly sadists that get off on hurting people. with my contrasting experience.
- falcolas 10y ago
  Counter anecdote - I've had a few root canals and fillings in the last few years. The first one was with a doctor who refused to re-apply the local. I was all but climbing out of the chair from the pain. Went to another dentist a few years later to let the experience dull in my mind - this one would re-apply the local, which made the experience tolerable, but hardly pain free. And that doesn't cover for the feeling/sound of the drill. And the smell. Gods below, the smell of burning tooth, root, and plastic... That's me you're burning up there! Seriously thinking about GA next time.
  - maxerickson 10y ago
BigJono 10y ago
My guess would be that GA is an order of magnitude more dangerous than most routine dentist procedures like root canals or teeth extraction. Most people would rather suffer through the pain than add extra risk to the operation.
- willismichael 10y ago
  I'm with you, in that I avoid anaesthesia when possible, but be careful making sweeping statements about "most people" without having some data to back it up. My off-hand guess is that "most people" would prefer GA.
- justin66 10y ago
  > Most people would rather suffer through the pain than add extra risk to the operation. That might be true when people are making decisions about their kids. I question whether it's true of people making decisions for themselves.
- detaro 10y ago
  Is avoiding pain really a good reason for GA? At least in my dental procedures (and I've had quite a few for my age), the operations itself where uncomfortable, but the painful part was afterwards, when the anesthetics wore off.
  - Aaargh20318 10y ago
    Depends on the type of pain. The pain afterwards I can manage, the pain during is of a completely different magnitude. But even if they could guarantee it would be 100% painless, I would opt for GA every time. The problem is being operated upon while fully aware of what is happening. We don't even treat animals that badly. If you bring your dog to the vet to have tooth fixed they put him under, but a human has to suffer through the experience ?
    - blktiger 10y ago
      GA can be extremely dangerous for some people. I know someone who has had several knee surgeries without GA because they don't handle GA well enough to make it worth the risks (death, for example). There are very good reasons why a lot of procedures are done without GA.
LordKano 10y ago
I had a cavity filled last year and the dentist told me about how when he was a child, he went to a dentist who didn't use local anesthetics and he felt everything. He didn't say it but I suspect that he went into dentistry to save other people from what he experienced.
pavel_lishin 10y ago
Soviet dentists didn't use anesthesia either. I experienced quite a few visits that would probably be considered war crimes if they were done to captured combatants. It took a long time for me to be able to visit the dentist regularly. I'm sorry what you went through, and I agree - let the kids have anaesthesia.
- SamReidHughes 10y ago
  People often wake up dumber after general anesthesia.
jakobegger 10y ago
Ok, it looks like I wasn't clear enough: when I wrote anaesthesia, I meant general anaestesia (narcosis). (English is not my primary language.) Narcosis for filling a minor cavity seems like something that should only be necessary as a last resort. I wouldn't have a problem with local anaesthesia, but it just wasn't necessary in this case. He came home from the dentist and told me how he turned on the tap with his magic wand. No sign of trauma anywhere.
- gozur88 10y ago
  What you wrote was clear to me. It seems a bit unlikely a dentist would be able to distract a kid from excruciating pain.
rscho 10y ago
I don't know how old you are, but old medical theory stated that babies, and by extension small children, did not feel pain due to their nervous system being immature. By "old theory", I mean no more than 30-40 years... Needless to say, the attitude towards that has completely changed since then, and dental care for children is now commonly done under general anesthesia when necessary. As for children being potentially struck for life by that, you are absolutely correct. It is also valid in adults, as I have been unfortunate enough to witness first hand during my younger years.
serge2k 10y ago
Last time I got a filling done the dentist gave me the local, but it just wasn't effective. He gave me a couple extra doses to get things numb enough and it was bearable pain. I can't imagine how horrible it would have been without anything. That dentist sounds like an ignorant monster. Oh, and after my face was super numb because I had so much of anesthetic. It just took a while to really kcik in.

wil421 10y ago

My friend was in the Marines and had to get is wisdom teeth removed. Lucky for him they were training Marine dentist at his base. He said they wiped some type of numbing gel and proceeded to grab his wisdom teeeth out with pliers. The trainee couldn't get them out so the instructor climbed on his chest and yanked them out.

wmblaettler 10y ago
I can confirm. I had the same experience minus the trainee. Had my wisdom teeth extracted while in the Marines. It was over in less than 30 seconds - no time for anesthesia to kick in nor do I remember him administering any. Crack, crack, yank - done.
- sandworm101 10y ago
  Much depends on the position of the teeth. Pulling some with pliers would cause so much bleeding that choking could kill the patient (teeth still well below gum line).
  - derefr 10y ago
    You could just do the operation with the patient laying face-down on a massage table (the kind with a head-hole), so that the blood runs out of their mouth instead of down their throat. Might be a lot of blood loss, though; you'd want to wear goggles while doing the yanking. :)
thearn4 10y ago
My wisdom teeth happened to come in pretty straight and level. When I was in the Army, the dentist there suggested having them taken out during AIT (primary MOS training school), but it wasn't an order. I nope'd right out of that because I had heard about a dozen stories like yours.
TallGuyShort 10y ago
My wisdom tooth extraction was a minor disaster. I have an extremely sensitive gag reflex, and the surgeon just couldn't do his job. Had to knock me out.

pc86 10y ago

Go to the dentist, you do not want bad teeth. Brushing and flossing 2x/day is not always enough (and 1x almost never is).

redirectleft 10y ago
Can confirm. 23 years old, 5 years no dentist, aggressive paradontosis with 2 teeth already dead and a lot of gum recession. Can't eat apples or steaks any more. Go to your god damn dentist.
- notheguyouthink 10y ago
  I feel your pain, i'm in a similar boat with less excuse. Any recommendations for choosing a dentist? I've got a lot of work to be done, so i want someone competent, friendly, etc. I fear price gouging for something that is already more expensive than i can afford. I've got so much work to be done i need to construct a long term "game plan" with this to-be dentist. So, yea. edit: I should add a bit of "dentist phobia" as well, i suppose. I don't claim it normally, but my heart is racing just reading this thread -_-
  - redirectleft 10y ago
    I live in Europe so I unfortunately cannot recommend ways to find the best dentist in the states. Dentists here choose depending on need first because a lot is covered by insurance anyway. However you should definitely see more than one dentist and ask all of them for a care plan. It's called therapy and cost plan here, there surely is something similar everywhere. By the way, don't be scared. I have no excuse also, and thats very liberating. Distance yourself from the story in the head - for it is root of all suffering in this world. Underneath, everything is and is okay like that.
- was_boring 10y ago
  30, haven't been to a dentist in 9 years. Scared to go, but no pain or bleeding. I brush every other day... That being said, I've had a lot of work done -- the front to half of most of my teeth is fake. The fake enamel saved my molars. I know this because my last dentist was a preventative and let's fixa problem when it is a problem type, not an aggressive one. I do not understand why fake enamel is not standard. It works -- I'm proof. It's almost like dentist want you to suffer and use their services.

maxerickson 10y ago

A big part of it is that going under general anesthesia is more dangerous than not going under general anesthesia. It's also more expensive than a vial of lidocaine and takes longer. I had a filling put in last year. Local anesthetic only. No pain. Took about 20 minutes.

dkersten 10y ago
I've had a few procedures done over the past year (root canal, extraction, wisdom-tooth extraction) all under local anaesthetic. Quick and painless, just like your experience.
Aaargh20318 10y ago
The pain is not the issue, being stuck in the chair is. I get really anxious just getting a haircut.
- maxerickson 10y ago
  I was not trying to tell you how you should experience dental treatment. I did feel it was useful to respond to It was such a huge difference with the 'regular' experience that I simply can't understand why dentists insist on letting people experience the torture. I think they are all secretly sadists that get off on hurting people. with my contrasting experience.
falcolas 10y ago
Counter anecdote - I've had a few root canals and fillings in the last few years. The first one was with a doctor who refused to re-apply the local. I was all but climbing out of the chair from the pain. Went to another dentist a few years later to let the experience dull in my mind - this one would re-apply the local, which made the experience tolerable, but hardly pain free. And that doesn't cover for the feeling/sound of the drill. And the smell. Gods below, the smell of burning tooth, root, and plastic... That's me you're burning up there! Seriously thinking about GA next time.
- maxerickson 10y ago

BigJono 10y ago

My guess would be that GA is an order of magnitude more dangerous than most routine dentist procedures like root canals or teeth extraction. Most people would rather suffer through the pain than add extra risk to the operation.

willismichael 10y ago
I'm with you, in that I avoid anaesthesia when possible, but be careful making sweeping statements about "most people" without having some data to back it up. My off-hand guess is that "most people" would prefer GA.
justin66 10y ago
> Most people would rather suffer through the pain than add extra risk to the operation. That might be true when people are making decisions about their kids. I question whether it's true of people making decisions for themselves.
detaro 10y ago
Is avoiding pain really a good reason for GA? At least in my dental procedures (and I've had quite a few for my age), the operations itself where uncomfortable, but the painful part was afterwards, when the anesthetics wore off.
- Aaargh20318 10y ago
  Depends on the type of pain. The pain afterwards I can manage, the pain during is of a completely different magnitude. But even if they could guarantee it would be 100% painless, I would opt for GA every time. The problem is being operated upon while fully aware of what is happening. We don't even treat animals that badly. If you bring your dog to the vet to have tooth fixed they put him under, but a human has to suffer through the experience ?
  - blktiger 10y ago
    GA can be extremely dangerous for some people. I know someone who has had several knee surgeries without GA because they don't handle GA well enough to make it worth the risks (death, for example). There are very good reasons why a lot of procedures are done without GA.

LordKano 10y ago

I had a cavity filled last year and the dentist told me about how when he was a child, he went to a dentist who didn't use local anesthetics and he felt everything. He didn't say it but I suspect that he went into dentistry to save other people from what he experienced.

pavel_lishin 10y ago

Soviet dentists didn't use anesthesia either. I experienced quite a few visits that would probably be considered war crimes if they were done to captured combatants. It took a long time for me to be able to visit the dentist regularly. I'm sorry what you went through, and I agree - let the kids have anaesthesia.

SamReidHughes 10y ago
People often wake up dumber after general anesthesia.

jakobegger 10y ago

Ok, it looks like I wasn't clear enough: when I wrote anaesthesia, I meant general anaestesia (narcosis). (English is not my primary language.) Narcosis for filling a minor cavity seems like something that should only be necessary as a last resort. I wouldn't have a problem with local anaesthesia, but it just wasn't necessary in this case. He came home from the dentist and told me how he turned on the tap with his magic wand. No sign of trauma anywhere.

gozur88 10y ago
What you wrote was clear to me. It seems a bit unlikely a dentist would be able to distract a kid from excruciating pain.

rscho 10y ago

I don't know how old you are, but old medical theory stated that babies, and by extension small children, did not feel pain due to their nervous system being immature. By "old theory", I mean no more than 30-40 years... Needless to say, the attitude towards that has completely changed since then, and dental care for children is now commonly done under general anesthesia when necessary. As for children being potentially struck for life by that, you are absolutely correct. It is also valid in adults, as I have been unfortunate enough to witness first hand during my younger years.

serge2k 10y ago

Last time I got a filling done the dentist gave me the local, but it just wasn't effective. He gave me a couple extra doses to get things numb enough and it was bearable pain. I can't imagine how horrible it would have been without anything. That dentist sounds like an ignorant monster. Oh, and after my face was super numb because I had so much of anesthetic. It just took a while to really kcik in.