How to Convince Dentist re Pain?

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I am incredibly sensitive to pain. My dentist is a good guy but he just doesn't get it. He thinks he's done "no pain" and I'm in agony. And I have to go back again soon. How do I make him understand?

How would you feel about going under a general anesthetic? How much more would it cost?

Just be firm. You have the right to stop treatment at any time if it's hurting you too much. The dentist is not your boss - you've hired him to do a job for you, and if he's not doing it to your satisfaction, you can demand that you get better service or see a different dentist.

I love the idea, but it's about $300-$700 and it's not covered by my insurance. Also the dentist says I'm a bleeder and he'd have to put me in the hospital for anything like removing a tooth. That's not what we're doing but if I wanted all my teeth pulled, which I do, he'd have to put me in the hospital. Am I not making sense? I should talk about we *are* doing, okay. (Great painkillers, but thought suffers.) Um, we've done a root canal and now, in the space to the left of that tooth, we have to put something that looks like a tooth. Two hours minimum. No. Me stay home. Under bed.

Have you told the dentist about not getting numb? I always tell my dentist about this problem. She is good about it and make sure I am fine to continue.

I spent years with white knuckles while the procedure was painful. Good communication and a patient dentist solved the problem.

Does the dentist have to create a mold, using some sort of plaster?

If not, then all they have to do, if I'm correct, is "fit" the new (prosthetic) tooth to your existing nearby teeth.

I tell him when I feel it, as best I can with my mouth full of dental equipment. I say something like "AwROWowRRR!" He does seem to think that some pain is okay. No it's not. Maybe we're very close to the nerve or something.

he needs a mold but he took one 2 visits ago, don't know if he'll use it. He also wants to finish the other tooth and clean up the place for the new one.

I keep telling him it's not worth doing, take out all my teeth (not so many) and leave me in peace but he wouldn't dream of it. You know how they are about saving the tooth. Not to mention the old bridge which is holding these smiley teeth together. We have different priorities.

My brother has similar problems with his teeth. They fail frequently and are painful. His dentist uses a nerve block to stop the pain during a procedure.

You may want to ask your dentist about an IANB, nerve block.

By far the more important thing is-CAN he make it not painful? He may have done everything right and it still hurts. Pain sometimes works like that, especially at the dentist. There are studies done on it, the nerve can be properly frozen but the pain still is there. There's only so much he can do.

Be persistant. Be loud. If you are yelling in pain, I have found most doctors will numb you more just to shut you up. (From experience). They don't want their 'clients' to go somewhere else because of someone screaming.

Are you getting a dental implant? Can you get a bridge instead?

You're going to have to be firm about when you're feeling pain and need something different. You're an adult and he has to listen to you. They can give you the option of doing things in two visits sometimes, depending on what they're doing.

What about nitrous oxide? A lot of dentists have it on hand. Ask him to slip you a little gas for free. You'll be too fried to care about the pain.

I have a bridge and the problem teeth are inside it. He's trying to avoid breaking the bridge because then all my teeth will have to come out. We dispute the wisdom of that.

Dentist says I'm so pain hypersensitive that only implants would be acceptable to me. That sets me thinking of India - the cheap but good dentistry capital of the world. I live in Canada. Do you have any ideas about India?

I'll ask him. I love being fried.

I don't know, it seems he is already disregarding your wishes by telling you that you shouldn't go the denture route. I guess once you get dentures, you're no longer a cash cow, am I right?

The dentist I go to now is very close to painless. He knows I go to him because I have had bad experiences with "regular" dentists. I think he uses a smaller needle for the novocaine, or pushes the drug in very slowly, or something, but he is extremely gentle in any case. I don't know and I don't want to know.

Do you have the option to go to another dentist? If you seriously want to get them all out, get them all out! You don't need this dentist's approval.