Treating a High Tolerance to Novocain

Question Submitted by:  Leslie

I am unfortunate in that I have a high tolerance for Novocain. This has made every dental procedure absolutely nightmarish. I stopped going after a while. But, I hate that. The more I think about it, the more I don’t want to live this way any more. I want to have a smile I am proud of. I’m sure there are things wrong with my teeth. I know we’re making advancements every day. Can you tell me if there is something that help a patient in my situation?

Leslie

Dear Leslie,

I’m sorry for all you have been though. It shows you have a lot of courage, because you kept trying. Even though you’d finally had enough, you are still trying to find a way back. That says a lot about you. I also have some great news for you. There is definitely a solution to this that will change your life.

One of the main reasons for a high Novocain tolerance has to do with dental anxiety. When someone is anxious at the dentist, and why wouldn’t you be given your experiences, it has a tendency to amp their metabolism in a way the burns off the Novocain, leaving you without the numbing you desperately need.

The way around this is by seeing a sedation dentist. They have medications that can completely relax you so that you can have a pain free/anxiety free dental appointment. Most dentists provide two levels of dental sedation. Dr. Steinberg provides three. My recommendation for you would be to start with oral conscious sedation. This will relax you enough where you could sleep through your procedure if you wanted to. In fact, Some people even call it sleep dentistry. We’ve seen patients who have been avoiding the dentist for years, finally able to catch up on their dental care.

If you end up needing a lot of work, have your dentist triage the work starting with the most urgent. Then, as you are able, you get the easier things done. If you end up needing an extraction, your best tooth replacement option is a dental implant.

This blog is brought to you by a Tucson Prosthodontist who cares, Dr. Howard Steinberg.