By Selina on Friday, July 14, 2000 - 06:34 pm:

OK...just got my wisdom teeth yanked, and I needed 3 times the shots that the average person needs. My ears were numb, but I could still feel the teeth until the last round.

I have had cavities filled where I only needed the regular dose. What gives? Has anyone else experienced a similar problem?

By Eve on Saturday, July 15, 2000 - 09:41 am:

I have had the same experience, I have to have 5 injections before having teeth pulled, apparently I have an extra nerve than normal, even after having 5 injections it still wasn't numb enough and had to have it pulled out under a general aneasthetic

By Kathy on Monday, September 25, 2000 - 07:20 pm:

Never, ever, ever have I had enough injections to make me pain-free during dental work. I tell the dentists, but they never believe that I need more novacaine until they start drilling. I understand what you mean completely!

By Mara on Sunday, October 08, 2000 - 12:16 pm:

Ditto here, I have heard that it is one of the symptoms of HMS. Also Vitamin C just seems to make my gums bleed and makes me bruise. Any one else have that problem?

By claudia on Monday, November 27, 2000 - 03:19 am:

I have to be put under general anesthesia to have teeth pulled, and they are so bad, that i've had 5 pulled already. I'm 25 and looking into dentures. Novacaine doesn't work, and my jaw locks up after about 5 minutes of drilling. My dentist recomended general anesthesia for my fillings and doing all 17 at once since my jaw can only handle one filling at a time. What are we to do? Let our teeth rot out of our heads?

By Jennifer on Saturday, December 16, 2000 - 04:27 pm:

My dentist thinks I'm crazy also. I had four teeth pulled when I had my braces put in, and I screamed the entire time despite having seven shots. I recently had a filling and same story there. The rest of my face was numb though, so my jaw locked shut and remained that way until I could feel my face enough to unlock it.

By Patty on Monday, December 18, 2000 - 08:10 pm:

Hi, Mara, yes! I find that Vitamin C increases the bruising and bleeding. I have found that CoQ10 helps with that, though. Do you struggle with low hematacrits from the oozing?

By Sheena on Tuesday, December 19, 2000 - 12:09 am:

Selina, in answer to your original question, I am normally OK for fillings with the normal injection. But when I needed a cap on my front tooth, the tooth was not pulled but drilled down to a "peg" shape. Then the dentist could not give me enough injections, and had to stop drilling before she was satisfied with the shape because I could still feel it.

When I was a child they gave you some gas (nitrous oxide maybe) for extractions. I didn't go far enough under then, and had a horrible dream in which I could still feel what was happening. You're all really glad I shared that, aren't you! Yuk!!

By Barbara on Sunday, January 14, 2001 - 07:23 pm:

There was a study done on EDS patients vs. patients with Hypermobility Syndrome. Although it was a small study and not statistically conclusive, it did demonstrate a probable cause to believe that patients with EDS have a resistance to local anasthetics.

http://www.ehlers-danlos.org/Info%20Sheets/local_anaesthetics.htm

By Sharon :- on Saturday, February 10, 2001 - 05:26 pm:

I too have had my wisdom teeth pulled but i had it done under general anastheticas they were growing horizontally but I also opted to have my fillings done at the same time and it took me ages to talk my dentist into doing this. I have had a MAJOR fear of Dentists all of my life (That I can remember) I think this may have stemed from feeling dental work as a child. I also had to have stiches in my face after an accident recently and can remember screaming because it hurt so much and then having to have more injections before he could finish because it had worn off too soon. (As if the injections themselves aren't painful enough I had to have more and could still feel it (USELESS))

By Susan on Thursday, April 12, 2001 - 01:10 am:

Ask for Zylocaine, a different type of dental anethesia. It wears off, too, by the time the filling is going in, but not as fast as novacaine. A second shot can get me through the filling.
A dentist told me my body utilizes Novocaine so fast its useless. Nitrous Oxide, just makes me immobile, but fully aware and in pain.
Another option is to ask the dentist to apply the stuff around the tooth itself, in addition to the jaw. They don't like to do this, but for large filings or caps, they might.

By Andrea on Tuesday, November 20, 2001 - 04:09 pm:

I have just had my very first filling done yesterday - at the age of 39! Nothing major, but I did warn my dentist in advance that local anaesthetics do not work in people with connective tissue disarders. She had the foresight to investigate why this might be, and although she didn't come up with an answer made this speculation: most local anaesthetics contain adrenaline (to keep us going after surgery). Since we hypermobiles have such a fast metabolism (our muscles are working all the time to keep our skeleton together since our ligaments are not doing it properly) our level of adrenaline is probably already so high (constantly) that local anaesthetic with adrenaline sends us into overdrive and renders to anaesthetic ineffective. My dentist therefore used Citanest (contains 3% octapressin, and no adrenaline) on me. Guess what: I couldn't feel a thing!! But I had to go home afterwards and rest - and got a headache (which I had been warned about). That, however, was a price worth paying. By the way: I enquired if this particular anaesthetic was more expensive than others and I was told no.

By Lynn Gallant-Blume on Friday, December 07, 2001 - 06:11 pm:

Hi Andrea; My daughter (Kirstin, 17 yrs) may need to have her wisdom teeth removed this summer. She has Hypermobile EDS and had problems with local anesthetics for a filling in a baby tooth. I'd like to learn more about Citanest (e.g. can it be used for extractions, for people who have asthma, etc) Where are you located? I'm in New Jersey (USA). If your dentist is not anywhere near here, do you think she would be willing to talk to my daughter's dentist (via a phone or e-mail consult?) Kirstin's wisdom teeth do not need emergency removal (yet!), so I do have time to investigate all her options. I would appreciate any advice from anyone who has been thru this! Thanks, Lynn (LAGHB@AOL.com)

By Leon Roomberg on Tuesday, June 04, 2002 - 06:03 pm:

OK campers, listen up, because here is the answer to EDS Novacaine “resistance”:

Over the years, EDS sufferers often become resistant not to Novacaine, but to the “conventional delivery” of Novacaine. (Has to do with twisted and misrouted nerve endings.)

If you were good children and ordered “The Management of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome” from WHSmith online ( at www.bookshop.co.uk/ Catalogue Number 0952598647), you would bring the book to your dentist and show him (or her) “Chapter 21. Dental Aspects of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.”

On page 83, there are four sentences your dentist should pay attention to:

“Studies have shown the insufficient effect of local anaesthetics in some types of EDS. Patients have been characterized as hysterics. This is not the case.” . . . “Dental anaesthesia should, where possible, be given by infiltration or intra-ligamentory techniques.”

My former dentist often needed to give me 8 to 12 shots of Novacaine, and even then only seemed to have minutes of pain relief.

She was NOT trained in “intra-ligamentory techniques.”

I then went to Robert C Rose, DMD, in Wayne, Pa (610.687.0990). He is trained in this technique and using one half of one injection, had no problem numbing the area required!

Closer to home, I now go to Dr. Howard Lassin, DMD, 1401 Kings Hwy N, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034, (856.795.8080). Howard is also trained in these techniques and has treated me multiple times. He also explained to me that literally thousands of dentists all over the world ARE trained in these techniques. You just have to get on the phone and be an educated consumer!

Mystery and problem solved!

By the way, here is another helpful hint: Are you an EDS sufferer whose jaws hurts from keeping your mouth open during cleanings and other dental procedures? More unnecessary pain! Request (and if that doesn’t work, demand) a rubber “bite block.” You put it in your right side of your mouth while the dentist works on the left side. You put it in your left side of your mouth while the dentist works on the right side. While it is in, you relax your jaw completely.

Another problem solved.

---------------------------------------------------
Leon Roomberg, MS/C, MDBA
Email: LRoomberg@aol.com
personal web page: www.Roomberg.com
Home Phone: 609.238.4625
Home Address:
304 Garwood Place
Cherry Hill NJ 08003
---------------------------------------------------

By Az on Thursday, September 04, 2003 - 12:38 pm:

[quote]If you were good children and ordered “The Management of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome” from WHSmith online ( at www.bookshop.co.uk/ Catalogue Number 0952598647), you would bring the book to your dentist and show him (or her) “Chapter 21. Dental Aspects of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.”
[quote]
Now thats the best advice I have heard and taken from one of these forums. I had to order mine from www.amazon.co.uk can also be found at www.amazon.com for non UK peeps anyway mine arrived this morning and its a very very intresting and informative book thanks for the heads up on that Leon. Might not have to ask Prof Bird so much when I finally get to see him

By Michelle Cheam on Wednesday, October 08, 2003 - 11:19 am:

I found a great article talking about EDS and it talks a little specifically about local injection resistance in EDS. Here is the sight: http://www.hypermobility.org/painandhms.php

I hope it can help some of you wondering about this. I take this to dentists and with work they can and have at least gotten me to the point where it doesnt really hurt. I think some just dont know or believe this fact. When you have this they listen faster. Warn them about it and give them a copy at the start of every apointment. It works for me so far at least.

Btw this is the first I have heard of that book. I am going to put that on my wish list lol.

Sincerly,
Michelle

By Michelle Cheam on Wednesday, October 08, 2003 - 11:23 am:

I found a great article talking about EDS and it talks a little specifically about local injection resistance in EDS. Here is the sight: http://www.hypermobility.org/painandhms.php

I hope it can help some of you wondering about this. I take this to dentists and with work they can and have at least gotten me to the point where it doesnt really hurt. I think some just dont know or believe this fact. When you have this they listen faster. Warn them about it and give them a copy at the start of every apointment. It works for me so far at least.

Btw this is the first I have heard of that book. I am going to put that on my wish list lol.

Sincerly,
Michelle