i have an excellent dentist who specializes in "traumatized children", and even tho i was 45 when i met her, she still treated me with care. she uses one shot to numb the gum, then another to numb the nerve. if i start to go white, or ask her to stop, she does. if i go into shock, she has sugar (cake frosting) to put under my tongue. many times low blood sugar is the price of long lasting panic, and it can be very dangerous..

i think your dentist is a dummy, and you need to either educate him or get a smarter one, Maven.
and Congrats for getting thru all that~!