I went to the new dentist and asked all the questions ect. As she was probing my teeth I explained one tooth #4 it will zap me if she touches it with the metal tool, sure enough the first tooth she touched was the one (keeps me out of the dentist chair, keeps me from getting cleanings, caused me anxiety( a huge zap, made my eyes water. Because she couldnt check it, I have to go back for a "debrivement"? not a scaling, unsure what is even is, she said I will have to be numbed on the right upper side and when numb she will check out that tooth, she applied flouride gel on all the teeth and prescribed flouride toothpaste to keep cavities away, 4 teeth are starting to get cavities. The last few days when I have eaten I am getting the zap on that tooth, one of those zaps has been with eggs galvanic tooth? I will say maybe the first hour after the flouride my teeth felt normal first time in months, then it wore off. I also asked her about the few teeth with cracks and she called them crazies. What do you know about this galvanic shock? I swear I am ready to get this tooth extracted. Thank you very much.....

Hi Pennye,

That zapping feeling that you described with tooth #4 could be an area of recession where the gum tissue no longer covers a portion of the root of the tooth. This recession is common in people who have some bone loss caused by a chronic build up of calculus and/or periodontal disease. It could be a cavity... it could be an amalgam filling that when hit with a metal instrument a galvanic response occurs. Sort of like if an amalgam filled tooth bit down on a piece of tinfoil.

The term you are unfamiliar with is called a debridement. This is a form of cleaning that is done when there is a heavy accumulation of plaque and tartar (calculus) built up above and/or below the gum line which prevents the instruments from thoroughly cleaning below the gum line. This procedure is done to remove some of the build up which lessens the irritation of the gums, reduces the bleeding so the hygienist can have a clearer vision when she goes back in the clean them at another time.

The term you referred to as crazies is really craze lines. These are mild to deep cracks in the enamel of a tooth that has been heavily restored and/or been beaten up by a poorly aligned bite or by a grinding or clenching habit.

Bryanna