Dental Appointment : No Analgesic Please

Origin of analgesia

1700–10; < New Latin < Greek analgesía painlessness, equivalent to analget ( os ) without pain ( an- an- 1 + alg ( os ) pain + -etos adj. suffix) + -ia -ia

Yes, I am certainly an odd duck when it comes to refusing pain medication at the dentist's office. "Unless you are performing an extraction," I'd say, "I do not want any numbing agents." Some teeth have the fillings removed with fine sprays of water pressure and the spinning of a drill. There might be a pinch or two on a nerve, but nothing alarming or jarring.
So why the fuss? I have found that when analgesia is applied, the pain from the procedure lasts longer when the analgesia wears off. I would rather endure the small spurts of pain in the moment than to deal with the residual pain afterwards.
Few agree with this. One assistant was applied it without asking. I was furious. When the dentist entered I told him what had happened and I let him know that I wanted to reschedule. He encouraged me to stay and I agreed, but the assistant sure got a good scolding and was warned to read the charts and not to act based on what the protocol is for MOST FOLKS.
Most of my teeth are my own. There are some caps or crowns. No matter how attentive I am to what needs to be done, there is always something that needs attending to. I brush 4-6 times a day. No, I don't floss as often as they recommend. I hate the process. Even with those picks that are pre-strung with dental floss, I simply can't get into it.
For many years before I had dental insurance, I had used a local school of dentistry. Am I thrilled with the dentist I have? Meh! I'm sure I could do worse, so I don't rock the boat. i am there about three times a year. The visits are more frequent, but the expense of keeping things healthy seems to be within normal limits.