kitkat
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- Joined
- Mar 27, 2006
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Hi all!
Just had a dentist appointment recently for a cleaning/exam. During the exam my dentist noted concerns about a small enamel defect on the lingual side (closest to the tongue) of the very last tooth on the bottom, left. She said she would "watch it" for now to see what happens. I had never noticed it before but ever since she pointed it out, my tongue is constantly exploring it and it feels like a pretty significant groove or crack in the side of it...it is not sensitive at all but it does worry me. She treated it with fluoride in the office and told me to use it at home. Is this an early sign of a cavity? Or does this just mean that it is a cavity-prone area? Is an enamel defect the same thing as decay? I cannot see it myself because of the angle but it feels like a whole in the tooth . I figured it can't be decay otherwise she would have just filled it...is it maybe a chip from some sort of insult to the tooth that just did not penetrate through the whole outer tooth layer? I'm confused.
Thanks for any input.
Kitkat
Just had a dentist appointment recently for a cleaning/exam. During the exam my dentist noted concerns about a small enamel defect on the lingual side (closest to the tongue) of the very last tooth on the bottom, left. She said she would "watch it" for now to see what happens. I had never noticed it before but ever since she pointed it out, my tongue is constantly exploring it and it feels like a pretty significant groove or crack in the side of it...it is not sensitive at all but it does worry me. She treated it with fluoride in the office and told me to use it at home. Is this an early sign of a cavity? Or does this just mean that it is a cavity-prone area? Is an enamel defect the same thing as decay? I cannot see it myself because of the angle but it feels like a whole in the tooth . I figured it can't be decay otherwise she would have just filled it...is it maybe a chip from some sort of insult to the tooth that just did not penetrate through the whole outer tooth layer? I'm confused.
Thanks for any input.
Kitkat