Do deep fillings ever work

[Makemefeelbetter70]

will they always need root canals?

 

[Brittany48]

I received three deep fillings in July of 2014 on two bottom molars and a top molar and haven't had any pain or issues with them thus far.

 

[Makemefeelbetter70]

I received three deep fillings in July of 2014 on two bottom molars and a top molar and haven't had any pain or issues with them thus far.

were they near the nerve of your teeth?

 

[Angeldove]

Most of my molar teeth had deep fillings put in around high school/beginning of college. After 10 years (and not taking care of my mouth), I now need root canals in most of them. I'm not sure what the result would have been if I properly cared for my mouth though. Still no regrets - root canals are the last step before needing to get the tooth extracted.

 

[JJones86]

In my experience all of my deep fillings have led to root canals. Not sure if it varies person to person or case by case.

JJ

 

[Makemefeelbetter70]

In my experience all of my deep fillings have led to root canals. Not sure if it varies person to person or case by case.

JJ

Thank you for your reply. Do you mind me asking how long after you had your deep filling did you need to have a root canal?

 

[JJones86]

Thank you for your reply. Do you mind me asking how long after you had your deep filling did you need to have a root canal?

One of my more recent deep fillings had to have a root canal within a week or two of having it filled. They found it during a cleaning and filled it right away. I was on antibiotics and pain meds., but they ended up referring me for a root canal.

I guess it depends how long the cavity has been there and how deep it is. I've had other deep fillings that were fine for months before needing root canals, but I think it varies. All of mine (4) have been on molars. I was told after the fact that my molars have soft enamel, so they're very prone to cavities and infections. If I'd known before I would have looked after them more, but I had no idea.

JJ

 

[carole]

Thank you for your reply. Do you mind me asking how long after you had your deep filling did you need to have a root canal?

I had a deep filling on a back tooth and it lasted nearly 7 years before needing a rct. Don't be afraid of a rct they are not as bad as people think they are. I would rather have another rct than another deep filling anyday. A lot less drilling involved.

 

[Angeldove]

I had a deep filling on a back tooth and it lasted nearly 7 years before needing a rct. Don't be afraid of a rct they are not as bad as people think they are. I would rather have another rct than another deep filling anyday. A lot less drilling involved.

Agreed! I was nearly falling asleep during my last root canal because of how well the dentist did it- drilling and putting in a filling bothers me way more.

 

[vicki]

I had a deep filling on a back tooth and it lasted nearly 7 years before needing a rct. Don't be afraid of a rct they are not as bad as people think they are. I would rather have another rct than another deep filling anyday. A lot less drilling involved.

As Carole said; root canal treatment is nothing to be afraid of. Before I had my first root canal (about 5 years ago now), the dentist I was seeing at time, knew how terrified I was and persuaded me to have the treatment by telling me that it wasn't that much different to a filling; the only difference from my point of view, was that it would take a bit longer because they have to go a bit deeper.

Five years on and I've actually ended up having 8 root canals, so you could say I'm used to it now . I didn't believe the dentist I saw five years ago, but actually he was right - once you're numb, it's more or less like a long filling appointment. Sometimes treatment is done over two or three appointments, but they're all pretty much the same.

I always used to think that people falling asleep during a root canal appointment was a myth, but I've fallen asleep a couple of times myself, so it does happen !!

 

[PinkKitty]

I have a very deep filling which my dentist said could fail at any time, and that was more than 10 years ago. I was advised to have a root canal by a terrible HMO dental place, and the endo they sent me to was a major part of adding to my dental phobia. My pre-HMO dentist was the one who did the deep filling because I was terrified of the idea of a root canal after fleeing the endo's office. I suspect the tooth will need a root canal within a couple of years, but thankfully I have a wonderful dentist who showed me root canals can be painless and are nothing to fear. You may luck out with a deep filling, but if RCT is the best option and you find a dentist you can trust, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[comfortdentist]

yes