[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I had one growing up. I was slapped once because I flinched at the pain while he was drilling. Another time, he put the drill through my lip because he was too busy gossiping to pay attention and scolded "That didn't hurt!" when I cried. I was about 12 at the time. It's no wonder I hate dentists to this day.

any anesthesia. Is there any wonder I avoid dentists even when I know I need one?

For what it's worth, I think my example is that of medical practitioners under-medicating children. Maybe they think kids don't feel pain as much, but they are totally wrong. To this day I consider myself someone with a very low pain threshold, even though aside from my teeth I apparently have a high pain threshold. Example: it is apparently unusual for a woman to be able to walk fully upright 24 hours after a C-section. Or to not need serious pain relief at that point. And trust me, I'll happily take all the pain relief offered, but in the example given, I honestly didn't need anything else. But touch my teeth, and oh, boy. Serious, serious drugs are needed.