Few questions: Hopefully you dental experts, or researchers can answer.

*So are the local anesthetics used the same ’stuff’ ? Same strength between a dentist, endodontist and oral surgeon doing some pulling of teeth?*

I just had a wisdom tooth extracted. It was the third, tooth 1, and I only have one left. It was and has been fully out of my jaw like any other tooth. Though it did stick further towards my cheek than the other teeth. My mouth really didn’t have room for my wisdom teeth but they came in anyway in my late teens. So it made things very tight.

The Oral Surgeon who pulled it took a ‘pan’ (xray) and before pulling told me to be careful blowing my nose and sneezing for a while because the tooth was extra long and was very close to my sinus cavity. (Upper wisdom tooth).

He grabbed his needle with numbing agent (what kind?) and stuck me 3-4 different places quickly and then waited about 4-5minutes and then pulled it.

It came out in one shot, he moved it slightly with something for a few seconds, then grabbed his pliers and it was out in under 10 seconds. Clean pull so it seemed.. lots of blood ensued and it is still bleeding.

My basic question is it seems not all local anesthetics are equal.

Recently I have been to the Dentist, the Endodontist and today the Oral surgeon.

The Oral surgeons local anesthetic seemed to work faster, and completely. No pain other than the needle going into the tissue on injection.

The Endodontist hurt! During root canal he had to give direct injections on the actual root several times because I couldn’t take the direct drilling on the nerve. (when it should have been dead)

The endodontist gave me 7-8 shots and let me sit for 15minutes before starting work and it seemed to be worse anesthetic.

Now my regular dentist, who is an absolute genius and fast with his work used local anesthetic for a crown prep (of course a few weeks after the root canal).

This deadened the entire left side of the jaw and I felt nothing but pressure. He drilled into the root canal tooth (yes I know it should be dead ).. but also drilled all around the gum and below gumline without pain.

*So are the local anesthetics used the same ’stuff’ ? Same strength between a dentist, endodontist and oral surgeon doing some pulling of teeth?*

I’ve had a few root canals, and a few extractions of wisdom teeth.. and of course a few crown preps as result. This experience is the same each time. It could be attributed to hitting the proper nerves and missing them, etc if it happened just once - but this potency happens every time.

Makes me think there is a real difference between them.

But, that wouldn’t make alot of sense,.. as the goal is to numb you for zero pain - even if one lasts longer , etc.

Sorry so long, just trying to explain how it happens each time, and isn’t a random thing here.

Thanks