The size, depth, and proximity to the dental nerve are important. Access and opening width are also important. The jaws are fun to work with. Relaxed patients can become numb in 1 to 5 minutes, while tense and nervous patients usually require 10 to 20 minutes.

Working on the distal aspect of the last tooth is a thousand times more difficult than performing two or three tiny dot composites on a person’s midline. Using a hard tissue dental laser is a hundred times gentler than using a high-speed air turbine drill.