Can you be immune to anesthesia?

Question

Can you be immune to anesthesia, when i went to the dentist they had to give me anesthesia 6 times. the first two were for children then they gave me the adult anesthesia and didnt do anything

Also it was 2 different doctors that gave me the different versions

Answer 1

no,must be that the doctor didn't inject it correctly,or there must be some abnormalities in the anatomy of your nerves.or perhaps you had some alcohol days before your appointment,or there is severe infection on the tooth that makes the anesthesia not that effective.do it another time,perhaps a different brand of anesthesia.

Answer 2

Anaesthetic for children? I'm not aware that there is any such specific type - how old and heavy are you anyway?
Some dentists think that prilocaine with felypressin (Citanest with Octapressin) is a "safer" anaesthetic and use it for children, but this is not so. It is a 3% solution as opposed to the standard 2% lidocaine, so the total allowable dosage is less. I saw a child who had been overdosed with LA once, and nearly died. The dentist was lucky not to be deregistered by the Board.
LA is a relatively safe medicine, but it does have its limits. For an adult, there is an absolute limit of 7mg/kg of ANY LA (about 490mg for 70kg). For children, it is suggested that 5mg/kg is safer (about 250mg for 50kg). So, let's assume you had 2 cartridges of 3% of 1.8ml, and 4 cartridges of 2% at 1.8ml - this equates to a total 252mg.
Most failures in dental LA are poor technique. There is no such thing as an immunity. Perhaps aberrant anatomy might have some bearing, but over the years, I have found that I am getting much better results - it must be my technique improving, not the type of patients! Very irritated teeth or abscessed teeth can be a bit more trouble, but still straightforward if you approach them more carefully.
I would ask your dentist if he knows the max amount of LA you're allowed. He should know his figures easily.

Answer 3

A few years ago I had root canal on lower left six and the anaesthetic had little effect on two separate sessions - it was the worst experience of my life. Recently, lower left seven has been giving me trouble so I took the precaution of changing dentist. This time it was even worse - I had three lots of anaesthetic to no discernable effect. Fortunately it was just a routine filling, although not very comfortable. I've had loads of treatment in the past and have never had a problem. Where do I go from here?

Answer 4

There are of course different levels of response to LA but not so much as 'immunity'. In addition to well explained responses above, if one has taken some digestive liquid, heavily butter-laced foods/products, or citrus juices/concentrates just before LA, some times presents you with such a situation.

Answer 5

yes. resistance to local anesthetics is a well known phenomena in the field. local anesthetics (or numbing medicines) like novocaine or lidocaine don't work the same on everyone. some people just take longer than others to have onset of activity.

as far as general anesthetics (putting people to sleep for surgeries), the simple answer is no, you can't be immune. some people need higher doses than others, but everyone can be put to sleep.

Answer 6

If the tooth is infected, the anesthetic may not take.
But some people just don't numb good. There are different strengths of anesthetic they can try for you.
Happy Holidays!

Answer 7

It's not that you are immune, it is more likely you metabolize it rapidly. Simply be sure to explain that to any doctor or dentist in future.

Answer 8

People who use a lot of caffeine (and I won't mention cocaine) seem to require more local anesthetic.

Answer 9

THe doctor might not have known how to do it properly.