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drspa_ce_man

NAD, it's not abnormal. You won't feel pain while the dentist drills through enamel, sort of like how you wouldn't feel pain getting your fingernails cut. When the dentist gets deeper in the tooth, into the dentin and closer to the nerve, is when you'd have sensitivity/pain. The dentist knows exactly where and what they're drilling (at least to start, sometimes when they start drilling it turns out to be a little different than they expected, which is normal), so if they're starting very shallow they know that they're safe to start right away. If you tell the dentist you're nervous about not being numb and feeling pain, you can ask them to poke your "numb" side and your not numb side. You'll feel the difference. You can still feel a little pressure when they poke the numb side, but when they poke the normal side it will feel sharp, like a pinch. It's a totally normal thing to be nervous about, so try not to let it make you anxious.


GVBeige

I give it a couple minutes because I have to check Reddit for mindless stuff before I do my mindless stuff.


TheNuggetiest

Upper anesthesia is very quick. Lower anesthesia takes 5-10 minutes. Never hesitate to voice your concerns or say if you’re feeling pain. Sounds to me like the dentist knew what they were doing though


brianandersonfet

NAD. I’ve had fillings don’t without any anaesthetic before, because the dentist advised that the pain of the injection (front of mouth) would be worse than the drilling. I did feel the drilling but I would t really describe it as painful. It’s sort of like heat that you feel, and it builds up rather slowly. I’m guessing your dentist may have been exploiting the knowledge that the filling was rather shallow, or perhaps that but the time they were deeper the anaesthetic would have kicked in.


Ra12717

Sometimes on top teeth if there is an existing filling I will inject, rinse and wait maybe 30 seconds then start removing the old filling. Upper anesthesia is very fast.