Is this common?

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When I was a child and my mother took me to the dentist for a filling, I never got a novocaine shot, nor laughter gas, nothing. Now I don't really think laughter gas is necessary if you get a shot, but the shot is.

Just wanted to know if this is common and normal. They do give these shots now, and they always had them. I know they did because they used them for taking a tooth out. It wasnt a question of lack of money or lack or resources or anything. More like an attitude, and I dont know if they did this to adults too.

So, is this normal and used to happen in your area too?

They used to fill my cavities without anesthesia of any kind when I was a kid (in the 1970s)

When some of my teeth were pulled, they used novocaine. (in the 1970s)

Just last week, though, I had to get a tooth pulled. A general anesthetic was used.

I think it's the times, actually

I have always gotten the needle whenever I needed a filling or a tooth pulled. The thought of not getting anything to numb the pain sounds like pure torture and something that would only happen in a third-world country, especially since when I was very young I was terrified of the dentist. My mother remembers them once saying they wanted to restrain me to the chair, which she didn't like at all and was angry at them for suggesting such a thing, and I was almost a teenager when I finally got over my fear.

i had teeth pulled for my braces in the mid-60's. the dentist used novocaine. i think you should at least have been given the option.

It was optional for me with some fillings. ( circa 1990). Nowadays I take ibuprofen and ask for an extra shot of novacane because I know it will hurt like h#ll, and shake like a leaf at merely entering a dental office.

I can't imagine surviving before modern dentistry.

The last time I went to the dentist they gave me a shot. Problem is I could still feel pain but I didn't want say anything.

I think it's the norm that this is done to kids without any form of pain killer (1980's). That's how it was when we went to the school dentist. I was very surprised when my mother told me (age 11 or 12) that the dentist could give me something, and the next I needed to fill a cavity I asked about it and since then I was given it.
I don't think we ever use laughing gas here, we're given the pain number via syringe (which also really hurts, but shorter than the drilling). I think maybe they're not giving that to kids because they have to hold still so the needle doesn't break?

They used to use Nitrous Oxide when I had dental surgery, but suddenly decided that they weren't doing that and didn't care to inform me that they were just going to use needles for my last surgery. I have a really bad phobia of needles and needless to say I was terrified for the entire procedure. It would have been nice to at least tell me of the change so I could have drugged myself on clonazepam or something.