How is it possible that a patient would still feel intense pain during a filling even after two shots of novacaine?

Answer 1

Some people don't respond to the shots as well as others. Or your nerves could go a different way than the average person so you don't get as numb. If you feel pain, you need to tell the dentist so they can try and get you more numb. If it's a child, they could just be nervous and think they fell pain when it's just the vibrations and their imagination. That happens sometimes. It can even happend with adults who are overly nervous.

My dentist explained that the nerve could be inflamed and extra sensitive. After many shots, she drilled into the cavity enough to administer the novacain directly and it worked immediately.

Answer 2

You may have been bruised by the shot. That happens to some people. It happens to me almost every time. The entire area where I was given the injection is tender. If it doesn't go away or start to get better soon, call the dentist and have them look at it. It could be pain from the tooth they worked on and not from the injection. I recently had a similar Experience, Where The injection was inserted into my hard palate there was swelling and severe bruising for 2 or 3 days. The skin fell off after this and I am left with a hole in my palate which is really really sore. When I went back to the dentist she said that this was an infection that had got into the injection site. One good tip here is to use a chlorohexadine mouthwash before having any work done to make sure your mouth is clean. Especially if you have a lot of dental caries