Are injections required for fillings?

[Crzy]

Got over my needle fear in the past few years but there’s something about needles in my mouth I cannot stand the thought of and genuinely think I’d rather let it get worse than put myself through that right now! Booked for 2 fillings in 2 weeks after pregnancy has my teeth rapidly deteriorating, I’m awful at communicating my anxiety and so tend to just go along with it or refuse which I’m working on but I’m absolutely terrified and tempted to just cancel the appointment, haven’t had fillings since a child and I had zero numbing then but it appears very common to and I’m unsure if it’s actually needed so wondering your experiences? Surprisingly more anxious about this than the teeth that are having to wait till after pregnancy to fix!

Usually. It is sometimes possible to go without but it can reduce the quality of the procedure.

Make sure you let your dentist know beforehand!

I wouldn’t fancy it personally but my Mum hates dental injections and has had fillings without. The best bet would be to speak to your dentist and see what they say as it will depend a lot on where the filling is and how deep as to whether they are prepared to do it without anaesthetic. Would sedation be an option for you?

I've never had an injection for a filling.

Not required, no. I have several fillings and - luckily - I’ve never needed anaesthetic for any of them.

It depends on the nature of the filling though and how much they would have to drill. I’m sure if you spoke to the dentist about how scared you are, they could advise as to whether they think you’d be OK without anaesthetic or not.

I've had fillings with and without, depends how bad the cavity is. The thing is, the pain that can happen without the anaesthetic can be a hell of a lot worse than the injection would be.

Some dentists will apply a local anaesthetic gel first so you don't even feel the needle, you could ask for that? It's really not as bad as you expect it to be though!

I have had fillings without anaesthetic injections, dentists are reluctant to do it because they don't want you in pain or to move suddenly if it's hurting.
If the filling isn't too deep you could ask if you can try it?

If I ever needed dental fillings, my dentist would use a numbing gel. He'd put it on the tip of a cotton bud and leave it on the gum for several minutes beforehand. This was abroad, but you could ask for similar here. You need to be honest with the dentist so they can help you.

It can be done but it depends how deep the filling is and how low your pain threshold is!

If you’re willing to pay for it then check to see if any of your local dentists do laser fillings - I had one, no injection and no pain. A weird sensation but honestly the best thing ever.

There is absolutely no chance I could get a filling without an injection. Good luck though.

Same!
I only recently found out that mine has all her fillings without an injection. I was horrified! I don’t like mouth injections but I do like to be nice and numb for a filling.

My dentist puts the injections in incredibly slowly. He almost takes a whole minute just doing them. They never ever hurt.

My Dad never used to have injections for his fillings either 😱

My adult son had an emergency appointment in Turkey, during which the dentist did the first part of a root canal without anesthetic...while I tried to disguise my horror. Apparently the nerve was dead and he was fine. I think it totally depends on the filling.

@TheFlis i don’t believe this would be possible for these two as when discussing dentist listed it as things they weren’t willing to do while I’m pregnant, unsure if drilling will be needed due to where it is, and tbh I was offered numbing for the water and air tools used today but both were painless so I’m unsure if it’ll be that bad and whether I’d be wiser to ask for without but to be able to signal to stop and use if needed as I’ve seen that recommended. However the pokey thing they use to check holes did feel slightly tender which puts me off a bit!

@determinedtomakethiswork i think slower would be worse! And tbh I’m much more likely to jolt from the needle than I am the filling! I can sit through pain well but not anything that makes me cringe! Not the pain that worries me but the actual needle + gum makes my skin crawl which makes no sense as someone who’s previously had oral piercings! (My biggest regret! The main reason my teeth deteriorated! Should’ve listened to my grandparents when I was younger they weren’t wrong with the youll ruin your face )

I go to a dentist that uses the 'new' technology (The Wand or similar). I don't do needles in my mouth. Too painful for me and I have a high threshold for other types of pain! But not that. The dental needle was invented during the reign of George IV. It should have been replaced totally by now IMHO.

I had a filling last year and the dentist said he wanted to inject before hand. I pulled a face and told him the idea of injection scared me more than the idea of getting a filling.

He proceeded without. It was fine for me

You can defo have them without as I used to. It is mainly the cold water and the pressure near your nerve that is painful and I used to prefer that - I feel very similar to you about injections!

However, I do now have injections as I think my nerves have got more sensitive. I think it's not as bad as it used to be. There are newer techniques and newer products they can use. Last time, my dentist swabbed a liquid around and that numbed my gum so when she did the injection, I didn't feel it at all. And a previous dentist I had was very good as she told me "I'm not doing the injection, I'm just going to use a stick to show you where I'll do it" so I wasn't worried but then she admitted that the "stick" had in fact been the injection, and it was nowhere near as bad as I thought.

If you worry that you will be too nervous to explain your needs to the dentist, you could always write down a note and then show it to them as you go in. Modern dentists are much better at dealing with dental phobia IMO and good at arranging things so you feel in control.

I don't like injections either, but had a complicated filling recently that needed 2 injections and because he did them v slowly I didn't feel them at all.

Fillings aren't like they used to be. I chose not to have an injection last time as I got used to not having them with my first dentist. It did worry current dentist but it was fine. It was a big filling on a molar.

They take a fraction of the time now they're cured by light not setting over time.

Same! Just the thought of that makes me 🫣🤢 brave people!

I always ask for magic cream before fillings. It makes a lot of difference

I had a filling the other day and didn't feel any pain whatsoever, I appreciate it was only a small filling, but no, I didn't require an injection. The pain when my old filling fell out and the tooth got infected though... Ouch.

I had fillings without anaesthesia as a child and it left me with a lifelong fear of dentists.

I told my dentist I don't like injections. He said what do you expect me to do? He does have a point.