serious answers only, Dentists, experts please, the pain was horrible with all that painful drilling!
2007-04-30 11:41:54 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Dental
If you had infection around the tooth, the area is acidotic (pH is LOW, not high) and that prevents the local anesthetic (numbing medicine) from getting into the nerve. It has to do with the Henderson-Hasselbach equation http://www.biology.arizona.edu/biochemistry/problem_sets/ph/HH.html
and the amount of ionized vs. non-ionized drug.
You should have spoken up! I would have screamed (and have done under a similar situation)
Sometimes dentists don't wait long enough for the drug to kick in. It may take 15-20 minutes for you to get numb enough to work on.
It is also possible that the drug was placed in the wrong area. That situation can usually be overcome by using more local. The rate of failed blocks decreases with increasing volumes of anesthetic. That assures that the correct nerve will be numb, but may also numb half your face. (I've had a numb nose after dental work, but at least the tooth didn't hurt.)
If you need dental work in the future, tell your dentist that you were hard to get numb. He/she might be inclined to use a little more medicine and wait for it to work.
2007-05-04 11:07:28 · answer #1 · answered by Pangolin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like it is after the fact (nothing you can do now) but here is the way I have seen it (or felt it).
Sometimes the dentist applies the anesthesia to the wrong place in your jaw and numbs the wrong branch of the nerve. Sometimes they underestimate the dose needed to stop the pain. Usually they make a point of asking if you are feeling any pain and you should not be shy about answering.
In either case of a dentist's goof you the patient should yell that it hurts and they will correct the anesthesia right then.
2007-04-30 11:48:53 · answer #2 · answered by Rich Z 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You must have a "hot" tooth! When you have a badly infected tooth, the ph around that particular site of your mouth is more likely high, meaning it is sometimes "impossible" to numb! The best way is to drill the tooth & give the anesthetic intra-pulpally~ meaning straight to the nerve.It should sting for a second or two but it is the only way to do it...
2007-05-04 02:04:08 · answer #3 · answered by Susan M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
u probably had what is referred to as a hot tooth. the infection prevents the anesthetic from reaching and fully numbing the tooth. drs. can sometimes place a patient on antibiotics to bring the infection down before performing the root canal. root canals are not always painful.
2007-05-01 09:52:35 · answer #4 · answered by beccaboo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It happens when you have a bad infection. It prevents the blood flow and does not allow the antistatic numb the nerve. Did you have a course of antibiotics before you had a treatment? unfortunately if you were in bad pain before the root canal and they had to do in as an emergency, there was very little dentist could do.... sorry for your pain :(
2016-04-01 02:49:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You must have a serious infection in the tooth and the infection is blocking the anesthetic, therefore you cant get numb. Did they put you on antibiotics before they did the root canal??,, thats probably the problem. I have seen it happen before and we stopped and sent the patient home.
2007-04-30 12:27:09 · answer #6 · answered by Kristi B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you should have let the dentist know this
2007-04-30 11:46:03 · answer #7 · answered by caffsans 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋