Modern dentistry is truly amazing. I just had a decayed tooth drilled, cleaned out and filled and I felt less than a pin prick of pain. Maybe I should give credit to advances in local anesthesia instead, which I can thank for the feeling that the entire right side of my face is sliding off.
For the quintessential humorous description of a trip to the dentist's office, please refer to Bill Cosby's "Himself". It's a childhood favorite and an absolute classic.