Why do some (mine) Dentists do this?

[WiseRobin]

Back in the good old days, you were given a LA and then sent back to the waiting room for the numbing effect to take place.

These days, as I’ve experienced a couple of times lately, my Dentist starts work almost immediately and EVERY time I have to tell her to stop as I can still feel pain!

The last time I had a filling the effects of the LA really started to take effect almost after treatment.

This has now affected my confidence going forward, I need to return as I have yet another tooth with pain but I might have to put up with it far longer than necessary as I don’t want a repeat experience.

Has anyone else experienced similar?

This is with an NHS dentist, not that it should make any difference.

I have had about 20 (yes really) fillings over 35 years and have never been sent to a waiting room while LA took effect. Had many different dentists and they start work pretty much straight away.

This is a shot in the dark - but was it numbing gel they put on your gum BEFORE the injection? So, sending you to the waiting room for that to take effect? I only ask because I always have numbing gel before an injection and have been sent into the waiting room before now for a few minutes.

But I too have noticed that they start work almost immediately after injecting, no waiting around.

@PunishmentRoundupWithJoon this was definitely a LA, I’ve never had a numbing gel (as far as I can recall).

This was a dentist I used to go to from late 70’s to early 90’s. Had the LA and then were told to wait in the waiting room.

I think it's faster acting these days

And yes, taking out the being sent back to the waiting room out of the equation, why start work before the numbing effects have had chance to work?

I’ve never had a fear of fillings etc but the past two experiences have been pretty negative.

Different local anaesthetics have different speed of onset & offset - perhaps your current dentist is using something different to the one back in ‘the good old days’? Inflammation can also affect whether local works at all so if there’s infection that may have an effect. If it’s painful tell them & if you want them to stop then tell them that too.

I've had to ask the dentist to wait a bit a couple of times, but mostly they ask me first if I'm numb enough before proceeding.

LA for fillings is great. I didn't know you could have LA for them until I was 18 when my old dentist retired. It was horrible and made me scared of going for many years. When the new dentist took over it was all modernised but you could still look through a glass panel in the wall and see my old dentist's surgery. It looked like a museum piece, very 1950s, maybe earlier.

More cleaning down between patients then pre covid times so it cancels out the benefit of sending people out. NHS dentistry has extreme time pressures. Next time you need a filling just say you always take a long time to go numb and book extra time to factor this in and they'll send you out again . That way you're covered!

we Have to clean the room thoroughly between patients and write more notes. So the days of ‘squeezing in a check up waiting for the LA to work’ are well and truly over.

also the crap pay these days means dentists have to work as fast as possible in the NHS to stay in the job - no one wants a dentist that can’t commit to a high target of appointments as the practice will lose money

Ive only been sent back to the waiting room to give it time to numb when I've had a root canal or extraction, never for a filling.

I had my first ever filling recently (gutted!). She started doing it immediately after the injection but I didn't feel any pain.

It's been a long time since I was sent to a waiting room. These new anaesthetics act so quickly. But mine always checks that I can't feel anything before he starts any drilling procedures.

I can only think that they're more pressed for time now and in a rush to see as many patients as possible. This doesn't help you at all if the anaesthetic hasn't taken effect! Next time you go, could you maybe mention your experiences and ask for a little more time for it to kick in?

Mine chats for a minute then has a tap/poke at the tooth then if I am happy he starts....same as his predecessor. I am also always told to raise my hand if there is any pain or feeling like there might be and always happy to add more pain killer. Do you stop your dentist and tell them?

Not to bash nhs dentists but yes this is my experience with them, they rush to get the treatment done without waiting for the numbing to work. I have since moved to a private dentist who sends me back to the waiting room to wait for it to work.

I’ve wondered this too. I’m in my early 50s and back in the olden we were always sent out to the waiting room for a five minutes to wait until it had taken effect.

I had a filling using a laser recently - no injections! Was bloody marvellous.

I’ll definitely ask for more time at the next appointment and mention it takes longer to numb the area.

I had extra injections last time and could still feel the area when work started, adrenaline also kicked in and I started to shake, never had that before.

Time is money.

Had a new filling last week and was sent back to waiting room for 10 mins while LA kicked in, this was NHS

You can ask for anaesthetic without adrenaline, I do.

Never been sent to waiting room. But they check you can’t feel a thing and if you can, tell them! Put your hand up!

Mine checks by tapping the gum with a pick, to see if I can feel it, before starting work.

@Oldieandgoldie i asked if anything had changed with the LA as I’d never had the shakes before, wasn’t given advice that there was a different LA without adrenaline?

@Blowthemandown I do put my hand up, my point is it’s every time, they will know the effects haven’t had chance to kick in.

There is also a pressure for letting them get on with it. Dentist sitting right over me, dental nurse standing there waiting.

Mine tells me to just relax a bit in the chair while it goes numb. I think he goes on his computer during this time. (Private not NHS).