Hi Mike,

Wow... see how helpful people can be on here.... amazing!!!

Thanks for posting the x-rays.

Okay yes, you have several cavities. I just compared my findings to your dentists and yes, I see cavities in all of those teeth you mentioned and some possible others starting to form in teeth # 25, 26 and 27. She may see these also but they appear fairly new and tiny. I assume she is referring to #29 for the root canal, but you have others that are just about as deep as that one is. Your wisdom teeth also have cavities and they are not accessible to restore. Not only that, they are just plaque collectors because you are not able to get a tooth brush back that far to clean them properly. So they should be extracted.

Most of your cavities are what is called Interproximal which means in between your teeth. Cavities occur in these areas from not flossing. So in the future if you floss every day, you will minimize or eliminate new cavities in these areas. If you don't floss, then you will get what is called Recurrent decay around the new fillings.

Based on my extensive professional experience as a chair side assistant....... having had countless patients with your exact situation with extensive decay in several teeth ....... it might be wise to discuss extraction of the teeth with the deep cavities that are very close to the nerve because there most likely will be nerve involvement when she tries to remove the decay. Discuss replacement options for these teeth which could mean a removable partial denture which is something that you take in and out. Or dental implants... all depends on how much you can afford to spend.

I know this is all very scary and you are very young to have to deal with this. But if you want to have a healthier future and do not want to spend countless hours with tooth pain and time in the dental chair..... then consider removing the teeth that will have nerve involvement now. Give yourself a clean slate and take good care of the teeth that you will have left. This is probably your healthiest, least painful and least expensive option.

Hope this information is helpful to you.... keep in mind you are not alone. Many people find themselves in this situation and the ones who deal with it rather than prolonging it... always come out okay!

Bryanna

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE TO HELP :-))

Bryanna

THANK YOU FOR HELPING!! YOU AND JO MAR CAME TO THE RESCUE :-))

Bryanna

im definitely not ready to give up on my teeth and go with a partial, thats what im afraid of when im 40 not 25. i've started taking better care of my teeth recently but i haven't been able to find a dentist able to take me so that's why it's gotten so bad. I assume all of the fillings have "crossed" the dentin thing where it can't be put off? most of the fillings she recommended as MOD (8) and 13 of them on the top (O?) but most were 3-surface, with a couple being 2-surface

edit: yes 29 was the RCT, but it was because the tooth broke
edit2: are most of the fillings deep? i assume if they are, then in 3-7 years when the fillings go bad, i would need to get something worse done like a crown since there wouldn't be enough to re-fill, even if i kept up my oral care?

she also said she'd probably have to crown # 30, 31 but she wasn't sure until she cleaned it out

here's what she has down
4, 5, 12, 13, 19, 20 are all MOD
14 is MOL, 15 is ODL

the rest are 2-surface.. 28 is OD, 11 DL, 18 MO, 21 OD, 2 OL, 3 MO

i assume the two surface ones aren't as bad, and the 3 surface ones are worse? is it recommended to get silver in some, white in others? i know silver lasts longer generally, but silver keeps your tooth together better?

Mike,

Many of your cavities are deep. The more surfaces there are, MOD as compared to DO, does not imply the depth of the decay. It implies how many surfaces of the tooth are decayed. There are 5 surfaces to every tooth.... so you can see how wide spread your decay actually is on all of these teeth. Also when a cavity is deep, the tooth structure that has to be removed in order to remove all of the decay and reach solid tooth often makes a 2 surface or 3 surface into a larger one. So you actually may have more teeth that will end up with nerve exposure which means either a root canal or an extraction.

Tooth decay is actually infection and it spreads very easily. The decay in your teeth has passed the enamel into the dentin. To be truthful, waiting is not really an option unless you want full dentures. Here is a diagram:http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...pages/1121.htm

Tooth #29 broke because of the extensive decay. That portion of your tooth is literally eaten away.

If your fillings are done well, your oral hygiene is thorough including flossing, and your diet is nutritious, you should not have to replace the fillings in less than 10 yrs. If you don't have recurrent decay at that time, the fillings can be replaced without removing much tooth structure. So crowns would not be necessary under those circumstances. Fillings don't go bad... they wear out from chewing on them. Filings in between the teeth generally last longer than those on the top of the tooth providing there is no recurrent decay.

I cannot stress enough that your situation will be ongoing if you hang on to teeth that have any nerve involvement. I am giving you this information so that you are well informed of what you are getting yourself into. The best option is to be pro active which gives you a fresh start at having a healthy mouth.

What do you mean you cannot find a dentist who will take you?

Bryanna

Mike,

It is never ok to have "silver" amalgam fillings put in your teeth. These fillings are 50%+ mercury combined with other metals. They are highly toxic. It will not be long before it is illegal to place these fillings. Most dental offices stopped using them 10-15 yrs ago. Those that have not are in denial about the toxicity and are causing harm to themselves, their staff and their patients. As far as the metal keeping the tooth together... not at all true. The metal is sensitive to hot and cold temperatures so it constantly contracts which causes it to crack and corrode. Bacteria gets in these cracks and causes decay to form underneath them.

Tooth colored fillings called composites actually bond to the tooth making the tooth stronger.

Bryanna

I couldn't afford it so I was trying to go to a low cost clinic, however none of them were accepting new patients at the time. Which fillings do you consider deep and may need RCT other than #29? They also retook xrays & panoramic due to some of them being blurry, maybe that would change how these xrays look? (they were the blurry ones).

She's taking out my silver fillings and wanting to replace with either a crown or white filling, but I wasn't sure how good they were on molars. I do know they bond the teeth better and require less structure removed, so I figured it might be best to get the 14 filled with the white stuff and hope it lasts 10+ years as I intend to take much better care of my teeth including the removal of sodas.

edit: Also 13 of 14 were "O" so that would be the top of the tooth, so most would wear down easily I think? They also recommend all their clients to do 3 month cleanings.

nevermind i dont think i want to know, the less i know the better, way too stressed/depressed over everything. i'm going wednesday to start the deep cleaning, then they're going to pull the two wisdom teeth because the third has to be surgically removed, and then i believe theyre going to root canal and crown #29. then 14 fillings and possibly 2 more crowns. (30, 31).

Mike,

I have given you a lot of information to help you understand not only the severity of your situation but to help you communicate more effectively with your dentist about your treatment options that could save you pain, money and chronic infection for the long term. Any teeth that have root canal therapy will be infected for the life of that tooth. That is something that you should know and understand before you decide that is a good idea. Most dentists will not provide that information to you. They will instead say... this procedure will cure your problem. What that means is... this procedure will allow you to "retain" an infected tooth for an undisclosed amount of time. The word "cure" pertaining to root canal means nothing other than "retain".

My intentions for telling you this..... simple... so you are better informed. It's my attempt at helping you to prevent any further unnecessary anguish with your teeth. To make a wise choice you need to be properly informed. Then you can decide what is in your own best interest.

The x-rays were clear enough to see that many of your cavities are deep. Your dentist will know just how deep and big they are when she removes the decay. So it would not be a surprise if with certain teeth she says to you.... the decay is near the nerve or it has gotten into the nerve. At that point you will have to decide whether you want to do a root canal or schedule an extraction. So this is another reason why there should be a discussion with her about removing "these" teeth and replacing with a partial or implant so that you have a back up plan with her just in case there are a few teeth in this category. As I said, the extent of the decay will be more apparent once she starts to remove it.

This is a lot to deal with it. I see it every day. I feel terrible for you to be in this situation :/ I also am trying to educate you on ways to deal with this situation so that you never have to deal with it again.

I wish you all the best... I cannot stress enough to communicate with your dentist about your options.

Please check back with us to say how you're doing.

Bryanna