parqueuzi

I've had numerous friends and acquaintances tell me that they have undergone dental procedures ranging from fillings to root canals without benefit of any type of pain relief, be it gas or local anasthetic. I have no reason to disbelieve them but it seems like it would be so risky from the dentist's perspective that no dentist would consider it. Yet apparently they do. What am I missing?

If the patient flinches or jumps and is injured as a result, what would be the legal/insurance ramifications to the dentist given that he deviated from standard procedure (albeit with the patient's consent) and could have reasonably foreseen the likelihood of injury from a pain-induced flinch or jump?