Had an interesting experience at the dentist today.

[LuckyCharms]

I have been wearing a temporary crown for a few weeks. I went in today to get the permanent crown installed.

Before the dentist came in the room, his assistant said to me "I'm just going to pull your temporary crown off before he comes in.

Um...okay.

She's yanking on it an twisting it and pulling it for about 15 seconds while I am rising out of the chair screaming. It was explained to me that the nub that the crown rests on is very sensitive for some people because the tooth that was drilled away to form the nub is sometimes still very healthy.

Then she went in again.

GIMME SOME NOVOCAINE GODDAMMIT, THIS ISN'T RIGHT.

One more pull...I'm almost done.

I have 5 or 6 crowns and realized I never felt this kind of pain with a crown before. That is because my previous and now retired dentist used to shoot the Novocaine before pulling the temporary off.

She got the thing off and the dentist came in. So now I'm there with my nub, almost in tears because it seared every time the air hit it. I told him he wasn't getting near me unless I see a needle in his hand.

I thought I was Dustin Hoffman in the Marathon Man.

[Raster]

1. The first time you experienced pain, it should have been FULL FUCKING STOP!

[LuckyCharms]

4. I'm not shy about expressing my desires, but...

the pain hit me so fast that all I could do was scream. The more I think about this, the more pissed off I am getting. The dentist himself should have been the one taking it off, not her. And the fact she ignored my screaming is unacceptable.

[Raster]

6. COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!

Sorry for all the caps. I have a mouth FULL of dental work, and I have a very simple rule: You hurt me, I will hurt you. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for any dental professional to allow their patient TO EVER be in pain. None.

[LuckyCharms]

10. Agree completely. n/t

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. How awful!

I am not good about going to the dentist because of various similar experiences, starting with a dentist who thought he could do a root canal on me without Novocaine. I was 12.

I cannot bear to have my teeth cleaned without numbing.

[LuckyCharms]

5. You would have loved my old dentist.

A very small amount of nitrous, good headphones playing whatever you wanted to hear off his expansive play list, and a vibrator on your cheek to distract you while he was giving you the numbing shot. It was like dental heaven.

[Raster]

11. smells like dental nirvana...

...I love a nice, warm nitrous blanket... it makes time in the chair bearable.

[LuckyCharms]

15. I love it too.

My regular dentist just gave me a little, but one time my root canal guy asked me if I wanted the full nitrous deal for $100. I said sure I do!

So he cranked that tank up. All I remember is staring into his assistant's eyes and going uhhhhhhhhhhh uhhhhhhhh and cracking up laughing.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

12. Yes. I did have one dentist do the nitrous and headphones

when I was getting some serious work done, but not the vibrator.

I honestly think that one underlying problem is that dentists have a high pain threshold when it comes to dental work, and haven't a clue how excruciating it is for many of us.

I apparently have a high pain threshold for the rest of my body, although I'll spare you the details.

[WheelWalker]

3. Grim... very grim.

[LuckyCharms]

8. Yes, and 7 hours later

the thing is hurting like a pig.

[dhol82]

16. Check to see if you bite is off

Sometimes if the crown is not adjusted properly to your bite it can bang the hell out of it and cause pain from a different source.

[LuckyCharms]

17. The bite seems really good...

it's the sensitivity to air that I am feeling.

[dhol82]

18. Give it a day or so.

If it still hurts go see the dentist.

[LuckyCharms]

19. Will do. Thanks. n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

29. When I had similar dental work, my dentist gave me 3 or 4 ibuprofen before I left

She said that was the best if you have pain. I'm so sorry you had such a horrific experience.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

31. Yeah. Ibuprofen works great for dental pain.

Last time I had a crown done I couldn’t wait till I got home to take the ibuprofen. I had to find a drugstore. Next time I’ll bring it with me.

I ended up taking ibuprofen for a couple weeks for an unrelated injury. It apparently masked the dental pain fairly well. Because when I stopped taking the ibuprofen I realized my tooth still hurt. Turns out I had to get a root canal drilled through my brand new tooth.

[dhol82]

7. I remember one time when the temporary was not fitted properly

When the anesthesia wore off I was in tears. Tried to tough it out for a few days but finally went back. They had to remake the temp.
When I went for the permanent it was well numbed up prior to anything being taken off.

[LuckyCharms]

14. Same here...always numb before removing. n/t

[unblock]

9. There aren't many upsides to chronic migraines, but one of the very few is

Nothing a dentist had ever done has ever really bothered me. No Novocaine, no laughing gas. Just do it and I'm outta there.

If it's not a migraine, it's no big deal.

[LuckyCharms]

13. Those migraines must be horrible.

I'm sorry you have them, and hope they are controlled the best you can.

The thing is, I have a really high pain tolerance. I don't get Novocaine on most cavities, I do minor surgeries on myself, etc.

But this...this was terrible. It was no kind of fun.

[Desert grandma]

20. What a terrible experience!

I agree with the other folks that there should have been anesthetic administered BEFORE taking the crown off. I have since been going to a dentist that makes the permanent crowns right there in the office. No temporary, no waiting. Only way to go IMO.

[True Dough]

21. Sorry to hear about your pain, brother

but you have to remember how much sugar is in those LuckyCharms marshmallows! Stay away from that stuff!

[Lars39]

22. Dang!

Nightmare-ish.

My dentist has this handy dandy machine in the basement that makes a crown, so no more temporary crown. Hate those things...swallowed one once.

[rickford66]

23. So ..... is it safe ?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

32. My current dentist never heard of that movie. Can you believe that?

It should be taught in dental school.

My dentist asked if I would mind if he used the rubber blocks to keep my mouth open while he worked. I said no I don’t mind because it helps keep the mouth open with no effort. Just don’t strap my arms to the chair and ask if it’s safe. He looked at me like I had a screw loose.

So on the way out I explained the reference. He said “oh god I hope I wasn’t torturing you”

I may bring him a dvd.

[rickford66]

34. At least he was hitting the books at Dental School.

And not watching movies. Still hard to believe.

[steve2470]

24. I've had two bad dentists in my lifetime, so I admit my bias upfront

Yes, going to the dentist will probably never be a super-pleasurable experience. Medications and painkillers and gas can make it BETTER, but it's still something I think the vast majority of us would gladly pass up.

However, I think the level of pain you describe is not ok. At all.

I would seriously consider going to another dentist with rock-solid credentials and good recommendations.

Best wishes, sir.

[csziggy]

25. This is why I love my current dentist

He is very careful about not causing pain - swipes the area with a numbing agent before injecting the pain killer and makes sure he knows your signal if you do start hurting. I have never had serious pain with him even when he did a root canal the first day I met him.

He has a new cool machine - it carves new crowns with a water jet while you wait. The last time I needed a crown, they scanned my mouth, prepped the tooth, and then I waited about 45 minutes to an hour while the new crown was carved. I got to go in and watch the machine work. Once it is done it has to be cured with UV, but that doesn't take long.

What is really great is that there is no temporary crown - just a slightly longer appointment and you walk out with your new crown!

[Glamrock]

26. Thanks Luck.

I've got dental surgery tomorrow.

[TomSlick]

27. Anytime a dentist or assistant so much as looks at me,

I start screaming until they start administering nitrous oxide. I keep screaming in the mask until I simply don't give a damn what is going on around me. If at some point I sober enough to consider giving a damn again, I resume screaming until I drift away.

[denbot]

28. You need to find another dentist.

That is well beyond the pale.

[zanana1]

30. When I was a kid, I had a monster dentist.

My baby teeth weren't coming out. I was taken to a dentist who used ETHER to put me to sleep. I had nightmares for months. When it was over, the puking and moaning began.

[rsdsharp]

33. It reminds me of my childhood dentist.

"Dr. Bob" was 6'7", chewed gum constantly, and never, ever, used Novocaine when drilling a tooth.

Today, I'm 64. I only go to the dentist if I absolutely have too. All because of my childhood dentist. I associate the dentist with pain.