Sir, my dentist has just 'refilled' a molar because some of the filling had broken away. Naturally, he injected the necessary painkiller which deadened the surrounding tissue. The job was done and home I went.

However, when the effects of the novocaine (?) had worn off I had the problem of crunched tissue looking like a large ulcer. Every time I eat and no matter how careful I am my teeth in that area keeping biting the swollen area. As it is now 2007, I would have thought that some wise dentist/technician would have invented a simple piece of material (like polythene) shaped appropriately to slot into the fleshy area at the side of the teeth to save you from biting yourself during the four hours after treatment when the damage occurs. Allowing for health and safety issues is there anyone in the dental field who has the desire to progress this? In my case I cut a piece of celluloid into the shape of a large crown piece and stuck that alongside my molars to give me some relief, but it would have been more efficacious if there was something cheap and designed for the purpose and which could be thrown away after the four hours.