dental report patient doesn't feel pain

Hypothetically, a dental procedure which should be painless with anesthesia can be carried out equally well whether the patient feels pain or not, so if you are stoic, feeling pain and not telling your dentist will not likely affect the outcome of that procedure.

Full Answer

Are dentists aware of the pain of their patients?

And be reassured by the fact that most dentists are acutely aware of the impact of pain on their patients. Many dentists pride themselves on being “painless practitioners.”

Will I be in pain after a dental procedure?

Fearful patients are often concerned that they will be in pain following a dental procedure. These procedures include dental extractions (pulling teeth) and other minor dental surgery, root canal therapy, periodontal (gum) surgery and multiple dental fillings. Dentists are just as concerned with managing pain after treatment as they are during it.

What is referred pain in dentistry?

Category 1: pain perceived at a location different from its source Pain that occurs at a site separate from its origin is called "referred pain." Even if the origin of the pain is a location other than the teeth, dental pain can occur, and the patient will complain of a toothache.

Why do I have dental pain?

Most dental pain is caused by an organic problem such as dental caries, periodontitis, pulpitis, or trauma. Diagnosis and treatment of these symptoms are relatively straightforward.

What is it called when someone doesn't feel pain?

Congenital insensitivity to pain is a condition that inhibits the ability to perceive physical pain. From birth, affected individuals never feel pain in any part of their body when injured.

Is it possible to not feel pain?

Congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), also known as congenital analgesia, is one or more extraordinarily rare conditions in which a person cannot feel (and has never felt) physical pain.

How do you assess dental pain?

There are several simple tests that may assist in diagnosis of dental pain.Pulp sensitivity test. Dry ice, or an ordinary ice stick (made in a plastic or glass tube), is placed on the cervical third (neck region) of the tooth crown. ... Percussion test. ... Probing. ... Mobility test. ... Palpation. ... Radiographic examination.

Can CIPA patients feel?

Summary. CIPA is a rare genetic disorder that causes you to be unable to feel pain and unable to sweat. It's caused by a defective gene that affects the development of nerves sensing pain and temperature. Because of the lack of pain, you may be unaware of when you're injured.

How do you physically not feel pain?

Simple, everyday activities like walking, swimming, gardening and dancing can ease some of the pain directly by blocking pain signals to the brain. Activity also helps lessen pain by stretching stiff and tense muscles, ligaments and joints.

Which part of the body does not feel pain?

The brain has no nociceptors – the nerves that detect damage or threat of damage to our body and signal this to the spinal cord and brain.

What is a dental diagnosis?

A diagnostic exam lays the foundation of all future treatments and recommendations. It involves an in-depth examination of the patient's teeth, gums, jaw and muscles. A comprehensive diagnostic exam isn't just regular teeth cleaning or evaluation, but involves an overall view of the health of your mouth and jaw.

What is dental palpation?

Palpation. The dentist will be able to check the sensitivity of the gums around the tooth by palpating, or gently massaging the gums over the roots of the tooth or teeth suspected of causing your pain. They will also palpate control teeth, or those that are not suspected of causing pain, as a comparison.

How is a dental infection diagnosed?

An X-ray of the aching tooth can help identify an abscess. Your dentist may also use X-rays to determine whether the infection has spread, causing abscesses in other areas. Recommend a CT scan. If the infection has spread to other areas within the neck, a CT scan may be used to assess the extent of the infection.

Can CIPA patients smell?

Since the abilities of CIPA patients to perceive taste and smell were not basically impaired, despite their lower sensitivity to capsaicin, it was suggested that their dietary habits were only minimally affected, except for intake of pungent foods.

Who is a CIPA patient?

Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA) also known as hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type IV, is an inherited disease where there is an inability to feel pain and temperature, and decreased or absent sweating (anhidrosis).

Can CIPA lead to death?

Most people afflicted with the disorder do not live past age 3, though not all deaths are due to the lack of pain. In fact, half of CIPA deaths are due to overheating because of the person's inability to produce sweat. This causes hyperthermia, or extremely elevated body temperature, which then leads to death.

Signs and symptoms of a cavity

The signs that you might have a cavity depend on the location of the cavity and the extent of the decay. A cavity might be asymptomatic as it’s just beginning to develop. As it progresses though, you might experience one of these symptoms:

How long does it take to notice a cavity?

The pain mentioned above usually is a good indicator that something is wrong. However, that pain may take some time to become noticeable. There are plenty of cases where tooth decay begins but doesn’t cause any discomfort for several weeks or months. At the beginning of the decay process, the enamel is the first part of the tooth to be worn down.

Why is dental treatment so painful?

Reasons for painful dental treatment. If you reckon that dentistry is simply too painful to bear, it’s likely that you’ve had at least one very painful experience in the past. Or maybe someone else told you about a bad experience they’ve had. There could have been a number of reasons:

How does a dentist reduce discomfort?

The most important way a dentist reduces or eliminates discomfort during dental treatment is to make sure that the patient’s mouth is as numb as possible during treatment. The approach I initially take is to begin treating the tooth very slowly.

What does it mean when a dentist is not numb?

the dentist having trouble getting you numb. a painful injection. being refused local anaesthetic. the dentist not stopping even though you were in obvious distress. And, of course, some dentists are much more gentle than others. Having dental treatment is not painful if you’re properly numbed up (though if you fear the sensation of numbness, ...

Why do fearful patients avoid dental care?

When you think about it, it sort of makes sense. Fearful patients often avoid dental care and endure years of discomfort from their teeth. It seems likely that if they had a poor tolerance for pain, they would visit their dentist the moment a tooth became sensitive.

How to reduce pain from dental injections?

Dentists have many ways of reducing discomfort during dental treatment. Strong topical anesthetic gels or patches are used to greatly reduce any discomfort associated with injections. Dentists also use very thin needles and inject the solution slowly to further reduce discomfort .

What does it mean when a dentist is insensitive?

What this means is that a person’s emotions have a large impact on their perception of pain. For example, if a patient gets the feeling that the dentist is insensitive or lacks compassion, there is a good possibility that other concrete measures the dentist uses to reduce pain will be less than successful.

What is a wand in dentistry?

There is a gadget called “The Wand” which is basically a computer-controlled syringe which delivers the solution very slowly, although the same effect can be achieved with a good injection technique. Some dentists when they’re dealing with an apprehensive patient fire in the LA really quickly.

Why are dentists not numb?

1. Poor technique (or choice of technique) Some dentists are not very good at numbing but don’t think they have a problem or don’t care that they do. Most do care, but even the most experienced practitioner may not always be able to get you numb at the first attempt. Here are the reasons:

Why doesn't the dental block for the lower bottom teeth work?

1. Unusual anatomy can be a particular problem with the lower jaw, because the dental nerve in the lower jaw is buried within dense bone.

Why does numbing happen when you have an abscess?

Numbing depends on the pH of the tissue. When there is an abscess (an acute area of infection), the pH drops and the environment becomes acidic. Local anaesthetic is very pH sensitive. Even in a normal environment, it seeps into nerve fibres slowly, which is why local anaesthetics take a few minutes to kick in.

How long does it take for a person to go numb after anaesthesia?

Your body’s biochemistry may be slightly different from that of the average person, and this may prevent the anaesthetic from working as expected. While most people are numb after 5 to 10 minutes , others take much longer to get numb.

Why do my teeth not go numb?

The most common cause of not getting numb is when the dentist has missed the spot where they intended to put the local anaesthetic. This problem usually arises when trying to numb lower teeth (especially lower back teeth) by blocking the nerve which supplies sensation to them.

How to tell if you have an abscess from a root canal?

You can read more about abscesses on our root canal treatment page. The signs of acute infection are heat, redness and severe pain . If you have an abscess and you don’t have these symptoms, you have a chronic abscess, which doesn’t need antibiotics first. Also, the local anaesthetic will work as normal.

Why are my upper back teeth not numb?

The solution is to give extra local in a different area to numb the accessory nerve. Similarly, some people have accessory nerves in unusual places in the lower jaw.

What are the symptoms of oral cavity pain?

Among those are: heart attack, trigeminal neuralgia, Bell’s palsy, burning mouth syndrome, temporal arteritis, Sjögren’s, angioneurotic edema, sinusitis, and even multiple sclerosis.

Is cracked tooth difficult to diagnose?

Cracked Tooth Syndrome can be vexing and difficult to diagnose. Duplicating the symptoms is sometimes difficult. Patient descriptions of the symptoms can often be helpful (if you LISTEN).   Yet, other times, the patients have a hard time articulating what they’re feeling.

Why are some people resistant to local anaesthetic?

Some people are resistant to local anaesthetic, meaning they must endure dental and medical procedures without such pain relief. And we’re only beginning to understand why. Some people are resistant to local anaesthetic, meaning they must endure dental and medical procedures without such pain relief. And we’re only beginning to understand why.

How does local anaesthesia work?

Local anaesthetics work by disrupting sodium channels. These channels conduct positively charged sodium ions – and with them the feeling of pain – to nerve cells.

Can you lose consciousness with general anaesthesia?

Patients who are resistant to local anaesthetic may decide to instead lose consciousness with a general anaesthetic , which is a far more involved procedure (Credit: Alamy) Alan Hakim and his colleagues at University College Hospital in London were some of the first scientists to bring these cases to light.

What happens if your dentist doesn't ask you questions?

If your dentist and their staff aren’t asking the right questions, problem may arise. They also need to find out whether you’re allergic to certain medications and anesthesia. Without due diligence, medication mistakes happen. And as is the case with any medical procedure, anesthesia has to be administered with care.

What nerves are most likely to be injured during dentistry?

The two nerves most likely to receive injury during dentistry are the lingual nerve & the inferior alveolar nerve.

Why is dental care important?

So again, dental care is important! If you seek help from a dentist and they mistreat or misdiagnose your condition, that may be ground s for a case. Infection post dental work is also a major cause for concern! It’s crucial that dental professionals keep things clean.

How to tell if you have nerve damage?

Some common signs and symptoms of nerve damage resulting from dental treatment include: 1 Difficulty speaking or eating 2 Reduced sense of taste 3 Lack of feeling or numbness in the face, jaw, cheeks, gums, or tongue 4 Pain or a burning sensation in the aforementioned areas 5 A pulling or tingling feeling in the aforementioned areas

Why is dental malpractice bad?

Dental Malpractice Because Of Infection. Many people negate the importance of good dental hygiene. But an infection in your mouth can get serious quick. The pulp of your tooth contains blood vessels, nerves, and tissues. And if the pulp’s infected, it can move to the bone and cause an abscess.

What does it mean to have grounds for dental malpractice?

Now to have grounds for a dental malpractice case, there needs to be substantial proof of suffering. This may mean that the damage will forever impact your taste or sense of feeling. It may also mean that doing normal activities is now challenging. For example, if the way you eat, drink, or speak is affected…

How long does it take for a tooth to heal after a dental procedure?

In cases of minor nerve damage, it’s possible for the patient to make a full recovery after just a few weeks.

What happens if your dentist doesn't hit the nerve?

There is always the slightest chance for error. If your dentist doesn’t hit the nerve, you likely won’t feel numb. Let your dentist know you don’t feel numb and they will inject you again.

Why won't my dentist numb me?

If your dentist tries to inject the local anesthetic into the nerve and they miss it because you moved or flinched with the prick , you won’t get numb. Try to stay as still as possible when we administer the local anesthetic.

How to stop dental anesthesia from making you numb?

One of the first factors that can prevent you from getting numb with dental anesthetic is vitamin C. When you consume vitamin C, it can have an effect on your body’s pH balance. The change in pH balance can actually counteract dental anesthetics. If possible, try to avoid taking vitamin C supplements or drinking large glasses of orange juice before your dental appointment. On the flip side, if you’re trying to wear off the numbing effects of the dental anesthetic, consume vitamin C after your appointment. Your consumption of vitamin C will rapidly expedite your body’s clearing of the local anesthetic.

Why is my tooth hot?

Hot Tooth. If you have a particularly painful tooth and it won’t get numb, your dentist might refer to it as a “hot tooth.”. When a tooth causes significant pain, it can change the nerves which can make them overactive. If it’s overactive, it will require more anesthetic than usual to calm it down. The nerves may also develop more pain receptors ...

Why do dentists prescribe antibiotics?

In order for local anesthetics to work correctly, they need a neutral pH. This is why dentists often prescribe antibiotics before root canals or other procedures when an infection is present . In some cases, a nerve block is a better option when a patient can’t get numb.

Can you get numb on a 3D x-ray?

This is where 3D x-rays come in handy. Just know that if you don’t get numb on your first shot, a second one will probably help .

Do redheads need more anesthesia?

Not everybody processes local anesthetic the same. For instance, redheads tend to require more anesthesia than non-red heads. Some bodies remove the numbing agent much faster than others. The effects might wear off before the dentist even begins the procedure.