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Dental pin for filling

E

Emmaf

Junior member
Joined
Oct 30, 2011
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Hi, ive had a problem tooth I put off having treated for years, it was cracked and eventually cracked further when the dentist tried to treat it to the point he had to remove one quarter of it. I had it filled and 3 times in 18 months the filling has came out. Tuesday I'm due for a private filling (the NHS wont do this type) where the dentist will implant a pin into my tooth so the pin head can support the filling as there isn't a surface all the way around to support it. I am beyond petrified. I can't find much info on the net and just wondered if anyone had had this and can tell me what I can expect? The filling part is never so bad I just wondered how invasive the implanting of the pin is, how long it takes, how much drilling is involved and how painful it is? :/ thanks
Emma
 
After the dentist picks a location he/she drills a pilot hole that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the pin. Next, the pin is placed in the handpiece and is rotated into the pilot hole. The pin is designed to self shear when it gets to the appropriate depth. Actually placing the pin takes all of about 5 seconds. There isn't a lot of drilling involved since the pilot hole is only about 1-1.5 mm deep and its not painful since the anesthesia required to do the filling is sufficient for the pin placement. Next, the dentist fills the tooth making sure to condense the filling material around the pin first.
 
After losing the filling multiple times is this a common procedure or does a crown make more sense?
 
Thanks, that doesnt sound all so bad when you describe it like that! The appointment is 40 mins which is what scared me but as long as the actual drilling/inserting bit doesnt take so long I think I will be okay.

My dentist did mention a crown but she seemed to think this would be better for me. The part of the tooth that remains is in good condition so I guess she doesnt want to drill that away if she can help it?
 
After losing the filling multiple times is this a common procedure or does a crown make more sense?

If a pin is necessary to hold a filling in place I'm guessing there isn't a lot of natural retention left for a crown. A buildup using a pin may be needed anyway for retention of the final crown.
 

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