Hi everyone, freaking out here!

Hi everyone, having a meltdown over here!
I'm 27, haven't seen a dentist since 22 when I had my wisdom teeth out. I was told at 22 that there were no concerns. Now I'm having pain between my top front tooth and the adjacent tooth. It's not so much an ache but a soreness. Like what you might feel if you got a potato chip stuck between your teeth. It's a sore sensitivity that has been pretty constant for 2 days. Not severe but annoying. Never had persistent tooth aches in my whole life. I'm also concerned because it's the front teeth. I know dentistry has come a long way but I really don't want a noticeable filling on my front tooth. I know it sounds bad but I'd almost rather wait it out than have a splotchy mess on my tooth. I'm just wondering what I should do. I'm already dreading seeing a dentist because I don't want to get lectured about not going. I'm nervous enough. I also have some tartar in my back teeth that has gotten beyond my control. Overall, my teeth don't look too bad (in my opinion). My front tooth- sorta where the pain is- has a white mark on it. It looked removable at first but I couldn't get it off. The tooth adjacent to that also has a white spot. It stands out quite a bit in bright lights. I can't believe I might have cavities in the most obvious part of my mouth. My brushing habits are are not ideal but I've always been more cautious about my front teeth. I'm so upset. My teeth already look weird with the white spots but I'm afraid they will look weirder if I have fillings. Please help! I don't get how the teeth with tartar all over them don't hurt.... or that no other teeth have white marks on them except my front ones! I just don't understand how that happens. My back teeth are more neglected than my front. Plus food tends to go towards the back of my mouth. Not my front teeth!

Part of me doesn't trust dentists. I used to have horrible brushing habits, drank tons of soda and only had one cavity. Now I'm suddenly having cavities in my front teeth? I know not having regular checkups can allow existing problems to worsen but still. My front teeth are the teeth I concentrate on most! Is there any chance that this isn't a cavity??? What should I do if it is a cavity? What are these white spots? Why would they be on two teeth next to eachother when I brush my front teeth more frequently than any other teeth? I want my teeth to look the same after having a filling but it doesn't sound possible. My teeth aren't horrible but they aren't fabulous either. But I fear that messing with them will make them look worse!

I appreciate any help!

Hiyer Sasha,

You seem to be assuming you have cavities that are causing the problem at the moment, for all you know that isn't what the issue is. I'm no dentist, but until you have a check over you won't know what you are facing. It could be a gum infection ? It could be any number of things.

One thing is for sure, and I think you know this anyway, leaving things longer is a false economy- it means that any dental situation can progress. Always better to get things dealt with quickly, whilst they are minimal problems. I say this like someone who is not afraid of dental work, but it is only recently I have managed to get some work done on mine. I avoided for years too and ended up with having an extraction last week and a root canal this week, both of which could have been avoided by checking problems when they first arose.

Front tooth fillings, even if you did need them, are not a 'splotchy mess' when done well and the colour can be matched really really well. The problem is, at the moment, you are just full of questions and they are questions that someone who examines you needs to answer fully. It could be that you choose not to continue with treatment after talking to a dentist and having an examination, but at least knowing answers to your questions means you are making an informed decision.

Are you still on the register of a dentist that you like and trust ?

Thank you for responding.
Yes my dentist from 2006 still has me in their database so I made an appointment for this thursday. I know dental exams oughta be less frightening than health exams but I still get major jitters. I'm not even afraid of the procedures. I'm just afraid of having something wrong. I'm afraid of what my front tooth would look like with a possibly noticeable filling on it. I'm reassured that they can make fillings look more natural but I still worry that it won't look exactly right. I really should have been going regularly. I was pretty stable when I last went... so regular checkups would have kept most of these issues at bay.

I know that I don't have to do these treatments if I don't want to.... but it does seem like I should do whatever they say if I want my teeth 10 years from now. And I really do want my teeth.. at least most of them

Is there anyone that has had a front tooth composite filling?? Does it look completely natural? Can you tell that work was done on that tooth? I've seen some pretty remarkable pictures but it's hard to tell in a photograph.

Also, I wanted to know how I should confront my nerves. Should I tell my hygienist that I'm nervous so she'll go easier on me. I'm really scared of the lecturing and sometimes scolding that goes with seeing the dentist. They can go back to scolding me later but I can't really handle it during my first visit in 5 years. Thanks again.

Yes, I think you do need to be honest with the dentist and the hygienist and if they give you the impression that they are not open to working with you sensitively, then I would consider another practice. Unless you can build the trust and feel totally comfortable with them, then it'll be quite hard for you. All the feelings you've mentioned here have been shared with so many people on this site and generally it is extreme desperation/pain that eventually makes people take the plunge.

I don't have a composite filling on a front tooth I'm afraid, BUT I do currently have a temporary composite custom made crown. The colour is pretty darn close to the other front teeth (nobody else would notice without starting really hard), so I should imagine for a filling they could get the colour pretty accurate. That is something you could discuss with the dentist though (IF you need them), the fact that you want colour accuracy. You could put a question on the 'ask a question' part of these forums, giving a title about composite fillings for front teeth, then you may have more chance of a reply.

They do amazing things with composite fillings, before I had my crowns, I had fillings for several years in my front teeth. it wasn't until I developed some decay underneath those that is was noticeable. White spots on teeth can be several things..........did you wear braces at some point? we always paint the worst-case scenario. Are you using a fluoride toothpaste or rinse like ACT- it may help re-mineralize your teeth. Lots of talk about xylitol these days for avoiding cavities- chew sugarless gum that contains it for 5 minutes after eating, besides the usual brushing and flossing.

There's some tips here like avoiding carbonated beverages (fizzy drinks for you brits), those high-powered energy drinks and acidic beverages can cause the enamel to erode.



Most of all, please communicate with your dentist and hygienist that you are nervous and what exactly makes you afraid. They should work with you to meet your goals and help you cope with or avoid the things that make dentistry frightening for you.

rp

Thanks for the replies. I really want to make sure they don't scold me because it could scare me away again. I would really like to visit the dentist more often. My starting goal is at least once a year. The lecturing and embarrassment could keep me away for another 5 years and I don't want that. To answer RP's question - I never had braces. I'm not sure why but I'm pretty content with how my teeth are positionally. But the white spot wouldn't be from braces or any type of condition. It's only on the one tooth. It's small and I could probably live with it if it's just a benign abnormality. But if it's a cavity, I don't know what to do. Putting a noticeable splotch of white gunk on my front tooth that doesn't match the other teeth terrifies me. i know they won't make it look messy but I don't want it to be noticeable at all. I can't even stand the thought. I don't know what's worse -- having one tooth a different shade than the other teeth or having a noticeable film on my teeth that everyone knows is a cavity. Ugh

Say this is a cavity. How long can I leave it alone before it changes/grows/worsens? Does every cavity need to be filled immediately? I don't personally believe it's urgent but I'm afraid the dentists will say it is. I hate that whole piece of it because I know dentists are also businessmen. They make a killing on fillings Pun intended.

Sasha, the thing is, IF it is a cavity then that cavity will become larger, blacker and gradually rot. That will look incredibly unnatural. If you left it then in months, or a years or so, you could reach the point of needing root canal work, a crown or lose the tooth completely. You are concerned about things 'not looking natural' but there is little that looks worse on a tooth that caries. What I am trying to get you to think about is that if you decide to leave a cavity (which is entirely your personal choice) then you will end up with something far more obviously wrong on your front tooth long term. I think that would be significantly more upsetting for you. How long can you leave a cavity ? I'm no dentist, as I've said before, but I know that it took 2 years for a surface cavity that I had to reach the nerve of a wisdom tooth. Anyway, good that you've booked an appointment and I will be interested to hear what diagnosis they make.

THanks Carys,
I know what you are saying. I was just wondering if maybe I could enjoy my natural tooth for a year or so before deciding. Once there's a filling there, I feel like it will need to be replaced frequently, and even more so if it's an aesthetic thing. That's very expensive and sometimes I see why people just stop going to the dentist altogether. It can be such a financial & emotional drain and sometimes, not always, the treatment is premature or even unnecessary. Like the previous poster said, decaying can happen under the filling which would require something much more expensive like a crown. if I'm going to end up with a crown either way, is there really any urgency to this filling? I will know more tomorrow about my actual situation. I'm just sort of in disbelief about this. Going to the dentist is hard enough. The idea of having a cavity in the most frequently brushed and most visible part of my mouth is embarrassing and devastating.

I'll let you know how it goes. I do in fact agree with you. It would be much worse to have obvious decay. I'm just going to pray really hard for a miracle and that this bizarre toothache is nothing.

thanks again! be well.

Hi!

Don't worry too much about having a composite filling on your front tooth. I have one, and even though it has been changed many times (I got it after an accident when I was a child), I have always been pleased with the aesthetics.

A common reason for pain and soreness in teeth is food that is stuck between teeth. It can happen even if you have completely healthy teeth, and the cure is fast, painless and cheap (see a dentist!). I had a piece of the peel of a granny Smith apple stuck between two molars, all the way underneath the gums so it wasn't visible, and it was really painful for a few days. A good clean and some instructions in home care can help prevent similar problems in the future.

Best of luck at your appointment!

Sasha, what did the dentist say ? Just interested really....