Dental work and novacaine and pain meds.

[jenypan]

recently I went to the dentist for a crown.  I've had several crowns done, but none in the last 6 years.
I take Norco for bad siatica and back pain, I believe its similiar to Vicodin.  anyway, I took a pill before my visit to the dentist because it was the time of day I take it, plus I feel more pain when I lay or sit down.  My dentist, who I have been going to for over 30 years gave me 3-4 injections of novacaine and although I got numb, I was not numb enough for him to do the crown and he didnt want to give me any more injections that day.  I made another appt to go another time.  Could my pain med have something to do with my lack of numbness?  I am very concerned about not getting numb and also about the pain meds.  I take 3 - 4 pills a day depending on my pain, mostly I cut them in half too, so I can spread them out.

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

I do not think there is any connection between your medication and not getting numb. I assume it was a lower injection which at times is difficult to achieve. That does not mean it it will not be done the next visit.

[mike1105]

it could be you are getting tolerant to anesthetics-- bt this is more common in drug abusers. more than likely, especially if the tooth in question is a lower tooth, the dentist "Missed" the nerve.

[jenypan]

it was a lower tooth and I was certainly numb in my mouth, but not my lip which is where he kept asking about...was it numb?  I called my doc who gave me the pain meds and he said he never heard of any problem like I had related to the pain meds.  I was just wondering since I took a pill at noon and then the appt was at 1PM.  I go again in a few weeks, and I will try not taking any medication that day.
Thanks

[mike1105]

i think he missed the nerve

[sandwiches]

I can relate because I have "unique" nerve anatomy in my jawbone, so it often takes 5 or 6 or more injections to get the "right" spot, and even then I tend to need stronger pain meds.

I had to have a tooth extracted last year, and the DDS who removed it gave me maybe 10 novacaine shots (which made my heart race like a rabbit, it was awful) and when I could still feel the nerves, he went to the back room and got out the "big guns" (I have no idea what this medicine is, otherwise I would ask for it at the start of every procedure). He actually had to inject kind of sideways and under the gumline and then drill to expose the nerve and flush it in anasthetic.

To the dentists on the board: is there a way to convince my dentist to START with the "big guns" instead of loading me up on novacaine?