Teeth suddenly falling apart

forestfruits

Ive always looked after my teeth and used to be very good about visiting the dentist every 6 months. 29 years old and no fillings until now- went to the dentist yesterday for first time in about year and a half, he did a few xrays and tells me I need at least 4 fillings! I had no idea, no pain or obvious marks on my teeth.

He said that the only cause would be a dramatic increase in sugar, my diet hasnt changed much only Ive stopped eating as much dairy as it doesnt agree with me. I dont have a sweet tooth and dont drink fizzy or sweet drinks.

What has happened??

Also He wont give me white fillings so Im going to see a different dentist to see if he will do the white fillings for me.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

without knowing you teeth its hard to comment accuratly, however was this the first time in a few years that you had had some X-rays. Sometimes dacay can be hidden between the teeth or under the enamel and is only visable on X-rays. So the decay on the x-ray has been there for some time, invisable and growing.

BTW if you want white filling get white filling, they dont generally last as long and dont work as well if the filling are very large, however for smaller filling they are fine if done correctly.

forestfruits

Thanks fitzgeme, so it may not be to do with my diet at all and my teeth have been decaying away without me noticing.

I realise the white fillings dont last for as long as the amalgam fillings, but I dont fancy a mouth full of black, so im willing to have them replaced more regularly.

forestfruits

Anyone any ideas how much white fillings cost these days- on back teeth

pavcro10

Thats incredible after just a year and a half since the last check up. to have 4 fillings needed. Was it a different dentist and the last dentist was just negligent??

forestfruits

Same dentist Ive gone to since I was a child and never had any problems-Im pretty gobsmacked!

sudzs

Has the dentist started wearing glasses since you last visit?!

When I was a child I never had much done at the dentist, despite numerous gumboils... then he retired and my new dentist found plenty to do all of a sudden - extractions, fillings...the lot! Turns out the old dentist was half blind! :rolleyes: And worse, my parents kinda suspected this but because he was a family friend it would have been rude in thier eyes, to change dentists so I ended up with tarrible teeth and a dental phobia!

But at least you are getting things sorted now. BTW, have you changed to a non fluoride toothpaste? Or has your water supply changed to non-fluride? Are you filtering your water in the last year because afaik that removes the fluoride. Or have you changed brushing habits?

davo10

OP I read your post and I am not surprised by the responses. The last couple assume that this is the dentist's fault and one even asks if he could be negligent. The fact is that the x-rays show that after a year and a half you have cavities. If they are visible on the x-ray then they are real and they are there. Your dentist did not cause them, you did, either with your diet or your hygiene so accept responcibility and stop trying to pass the buck to your dentist. Would you be surprised if you had been told you had one cavity after 18 months?, if all your teeth are exposed to the same causative factors, why is it such a surprise that you need more than one filling?. You could of course deny the decay exists and wait, but then when the teeth do eventually hurt, the cavities will be much bigger and closer to the pulp. Incidently regular flossing helps to prevent cavities on the surfaces between teeth.

I had serious decay in my wisdom tooth and a molar beside it under 18 months after my last check up. I don't think the dentist noticed - even when I went back saying I thought I had decay, he still tried to tell me I was grand until I insisted he took X rays. If I hadn't insisted, I'd have gone away thinking my teeth were perfect. I have a good diet as well, I never drink fizzy drinks etc, I brush/floss really well and had never had a filling in my life until then. I just assumed these things happen - it was nigh on impossible to brush/floss between my molar and wisdom tooth because the latter was growing sideways. Dentist said there was really nothing I could have done.

davo10

Impacted wisdom teeth are very difficult to clean and very easy to get food caught around. For these reasons they have a faster decay rate then any other tooth. In many countries they are routinely removed when they start to erupt to prevent decay/perio/ortho problems. This is a medico-legal minefield. If the tooth is symptomless and the dentist removes it, and the patients suffers side effects like temp/permanent parasthesia of the Inferior dental nerve, then there is a problem. Here we tend to wait until the tooth becomes painful/decays/poses a risk to adjacent teeth, then extract. Izzy is it possible the dentist advised you to wait until the tooth became painful then he would extract/treat?

davo10

davo10 wrote: »

Impacted wisdom teeth are very difficult to clean and very easy to get food caught around. For these reasons they have a faster decay rate then any other tooth. In many countries they are routinely removed when they start to erupt to prevent decay/perio/ortho problems. This is a medico-legal minefield. If the tooth is symptomless and the dentist removes it, and the patients suffers side effects like temp/permanent parasthesia of the Inferior dental nerve, then there is a problem. Here we tend to wait until the tooth becomes painful/decays/poses a risk to adjacent teeth, then extract. Izzy is it possible the dentist advised you to wait until the tooth became painful then he would extract/treat?

Well, the reason he didn't remove it as routine was because it was sitting right on the nerve, and I didn't want the risk of removing it, but he never noticed decay at all in the check ups. As I said, he was convinced the tooth was just stained when I went in thinking it was decayed. Or, more accurately, the molar next to it was badly decayed. If I hadn't insisted on X-rays, I'd have been sent away for another six months.