6 fillings

Bstatic

Went to the dentist today and said I have to get 6 fillings, an obscene amount! Got two today and will go back for the rest soon. I have quite a sweet tooth so thats my problem. I used to drink bout a litre of coke a day for about four years, don't drink it now, so I'd say that where most of the damage occurred. Also he told me to use a soft toothbrush instead of a hard one. But what about chocolate, is that doing a lot of damage too, say a bar of choc a day?

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Dental Decay or Dental Caries is caused by bacteria that live on you teeth in plaque. They ferment carbohydrate into acid which demineralises your teeth, this can only be removed by then the dentists drill! Three thing are needed to have decay. Sugar, bacteria, time and host factors. So reducing your sugar intake will cut your decay rate. Most importantly reducing the frequancy of sugar intake will give your saliva a chance to wash the acid away. Brushing and flossing removes the bacteria also. Some people are more susceptable than others depenting on their saliva and immune responce etc.

So in answer to your question...chocolate is bad but wont cause decay if not taken too frequently each day, snacks between meals are the real killer. Brush twice a day and floss.

Unfortunatly in this day and age it is not uncommon to need so many fillings. Get the work done and then concentrate on prevention so you dont get any more in the future.

vishal

if you are going to eat sugary foods or drinks make sure you eat them in one go as apposed to e.g. having a sip of coke and then 5 mins later having another sip and so on.
it is mainly frequency that cause caries. try and keep sugary food to main meels and not snack frequently.

dundalk cailin

I got four fillings in one go, that was not fun..
i dont so mind getting fillings, but one of the teeth, as the dentist started drilling, was so sensitive as the injection hadnt fully worked; so he had to give me another injection..the sheer sensitivity is the worst ..ouch

i do consume a lot of chocolate..trying to cut down, but i have such a sweet tooth..thought ive found that fruit helps my sugar cravings a bit. also im addicted to diet coke, any suggestions on how to wean myself off it, so to speak? cos i dont wanna mess up my teeth any more

btkm8unsl0w5r4

One good tip it if you must drink acidic drinks or sugery drinks....drink through a straw...the liquid does not come in contact with your teeth as much. Chew gum (sugar free!) afterwards to stimulate saliva which helps fight bacteria and remineralise the teeth. Keep sweet thing to meal times only.

Teg Veece

On the topic of fillings.. do they have to be black or are they available in tooth colour now?

dundalk cailin

im off the D Coke two weeks now, the cravings have lessened considerably..im so proud of me drinkin gallons of water!

Yv

Coke's a killer for teeth, went to the dentist a few weeks back - after being told at my last visit (4 years ago :rolleyes: ) that my teeth were perfect it was a bit of a shock having to get 7 fillings over 2 & a half weeks He said coke was the reason, drank a serious amount in those 4 years & paid for it (literally - consultation + 7 fillings = €440 ).

Supercell

15 in last three visits, you lot are pussys, plus implants, scaling and other joyous things that made my gums bleed.

I hadn't visited about 10 years, the cost is huge.and the lesson is learned.

Supercell

Teg Veece wrote:

On the topic of fillings.. do they have to be black or are they available in tooth colour now?

I'm interested in the mod's answer to this.

My own dentists view is this...

1) White fillings are softer but look better and are more expensive

2) Metal fillings are not as dark as they used to be, are harder and last longer, and are cheaper.

My previous dentist (from about 10 years ago) said that the metal fillings were bad, but the current one doesnt think so .

I dunno, i'd like to think that with modern dentistry that the longer lasting solution is safe, but wish that both were great.

Any filling needs to be replaced eventually from filling one, you are counting down the time till crowning or extraction is needed on that tooth, brush, floss and mouthwash !!

Yv

Longfield wrote:

15 in last three visits... and other joyous things that made my gums bleed.

Jebus, isn't that a bit severe? Shouldn't he have spaced out the treatments more? My dentist wouldn't do any more than 2 fillings per visit to minimise the discomfort afterwards - meant the visits were kept short as well. Learned my lesson too...

Longfield wrote:

2. Metal fillings are not as dark as they used to be, are harder and last longer, and are cheaper.

I think the costs have evened out a bit since - at least my dentist charges the same for metal & white. White are softer though, but are pretty much unnoticeable even right up at the front. Which was the whole point of inventing them, I guess :P

dundalk cailin

I got 4 fillings in one go,not the most fun,but at least i got them over with,they were in each corner of my mouth,so my mouth felt huge after!!

Squaddy

I had six fillings but the good thing is they are all pulled now!

Dont swish your drinks in your mouth either. To help tooth decay you should try using dental floss. It improved my teeth significantly and I've got the whitest teeth because of it even though I eat and drink too much sweets and coke.

Lainey_b01

I recently got 6 fillings also, all back teeth. Dentist advised cutting out the fizzy drinks. Didn't consider myself been drinking them in excess but when I thought about it and counted in all the diet coke and 7 up free it added up. I've cut them out now on his advice.

I got charged 530 eur for the fillings (one silver, 5 white all back teeth). I think this is way too much. Anyone else agree?

Treatment was excellent but price??? Ranelagh clinic


Just to update......dentist called me. Spotted my venting thread, apologised and told me I had been overcharged. Cheque in post! Never be 2afraid of asking why when feel overcharged