No one enjoys going to a dentist to have a tooth pulled, even though the tooth may be extremely painful. The experience, although still not completely painless, is nevertheless a far cry from what it was prior to 1846. Back then, there was no anesthesia-that is, drugs that eliminate most of the pain associated with surgery and other medical procedures.

Today, a dentist injects a drug-usually a form of procaine, a derivative of cocaine-into the jaw near whichever nerve leads to the afflicted tooth. The patient feels no more than a pinprick.

Within a few minutes, the jaw is completely numb. The dentist then reaches into the patient's mouth with specialized forceps and pulls the tooth. The patient will experience no more than a dull feeling of movement. The only pain associated with the procedure is the injection of the drug.

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