From “perfect teeth” to 11 cavities in one year

[Juliet12]

After 2 years of avoiding the dentist, I’ve spent all of 2022 and into this year seeing multiple dentists and having a total of 7+ cavities filled- after a lifetime of having “perfect” teeth. I’m scared i’ve ruined my teeth bc some of these fillings are giving me pain and i’m scared i’ve trapped myself in an endless cycle of filling them. I’m so depressed about it and it affects me every day. I’ve had multiple molar fillings done on my left and right sides (top and bottom) and the most recent (on the top and bottom of my left side) are painful to chew with. my dentist has good ratings, but they told me that it was my posture making me have pain in my molars. not the fillings. but i didn’t have pain there until they filled it? It’s been 2 months since they were filled and adjusted and i’m scared they’re setting me up to fail and are ignoring my problems. Now I have an appointment to fill the last quadrant of my mouth (all molars) and i still have pain with other fillings. i’m scared if i tell them about this because that might tell me that i need even more treatment or even a root canal. I completely regret going to the dentist last year and starting all of this mess…

tldr: how do i get over the regret of having multiple cavities filled in one year? should i address post-filling pains with my dentist if it means i might need to get a root canal? How long can i wait if i have biting/chewing pain with a deep filling? Can i assume it’s permanent nerve damage? have i ruined my mouth forever because i’ll have 11 fillings?

 

[Gordon]

how do i get over the regret of having multiple cavities filled in one year?

It's a shame, but you can't do anything about it now. Use it as a learning experience, work out what you need to change in your diet/lifestyle to prevent it happening again and move on as best you can.

should i address post-filling pains with my dentist if it means i might need to get a root canal?

Well, yes, you don't want to be in pain for ages if it can be fixed. A root canal isn't that bad, not worth living your life in pain to avoid it that's for sure.

How long can i wait if i have biting/chewing pain with a deep filling?

A couple of weeks if it's not improving by then it needs looking at.

Can i assume it’s permanent nerve damage?

No you can't. Plenty of other things it could be.

i ruined my mouth forever because i’ll have 11 fillings?

Hardly. I've got more than 11 fillings and I don't think my mouth is ruined

 

[letsconnect]

Hi @Juliet12,

sorry to hear that you've been having such a rough time . I hope your problems will be sorted without too much fuss. Not sure how COVID affected you, but during the lockdown periods especially, a lot of people changed their eating habits, due to stress and boredom. As Gordon said, looking at how your diet may have changed might give you some clues as to how to avoid future problems. You can find more info here:

How to prevent and stop tooth decay

Find out how to prevent tooth decay and how to stop existing decay from getting worse.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

I hope it's ok to mention this here because it may not be relevant to your situation, but in the U.S. especially, unnecessary procedures to increase billing are not all that unusual, especially when it comes to dental chains and dental discount plans. So if you're unsure if a treatment is necessary, it's a good idea to get a second opinion (we've got some tips for finding a dentist here). It sounds as if you've seen several dental offices though, and that they all recommended the same treatment?

 

[Juliet12]

@letsconnect & @Gordon Thank you for your support! For context, I have always been great at brushing my teeth and have healthy gums. My main problem is that I rarely flossed and genetically have deep grooves in my molars that have always trapped food. I have always brushed thoroughly 2x/day, everyday, but flossed maybe once a month or if I was "good" once a week.
Now, I continue with brushing, but floss every night and use fluoride mouthwash.

So, I went to a new dentist a year ago (after 2 years of not seeing a dentist) who said I had only 2 cavities, but when they refilled it, it kept falling out + they randomly starting drilling other teeth and "discovering" more cavities. I ended up with 4 holes in my teeth on my upper right side of my mouth and decided to see a better dentist. I then found an incredibly experienced dentist with amazing reviews, who has also taught at a highly ranked university on the subject of oral health. My initial visit with them was extremely thorough-- 2 hours of them showing me images and xrays, using a mirror to single out every tooth and explain what's happening-- it felt like all my dental anxiety went away. But they also told me I had 11 cavities. I chose to believe them because of the quality and care of their work, but now I feel like maybe I was wrong and shouldn't have believed them, especially because I went from having 2 cavities to 11? I have already filled 7 cavities with them (by the way, almost all my cavities are on top of my molars, which have always been deep and trapped food). I have 4 more to go next week. I can't change the fact that I went with the fillings and I now have 7 and will get more soon, but I have massive regret that I went with her word and am scared that I ruined my teeth because of the many fillings. I've read that once you have fillings in your teeth (esp. deep ones, which I think I have), you've essentially ruined your teeth because they will weaken the structure and will all eventually need to be replaced with a crown. I have nightmares about having ALL of my molars crowned because of the cavities I've filled this year. I'm scared I've made a huge mistake and I guess I just need a sign that I wont have a lifetime of dental problems because of my fillings. I used to feel "normal" about my teeth and have always been proud of them, but now I'm scared I'll always be insecure about them.

 

[letsconnect]

Diet is by far the biggest factor when it comes to cavities, so increasing your flossing (even though it's great for preventing gum disease) may not help that much. The key is to cut down on the number of times each day that your teeth come into contact with sweet or starchy foods and drinks. There might be other factors involved, for example starting to take a medication which dries out your mouth, or switching to a non-fluoride toothpaste - the link above has a lot more detail.

On the face of it, it sounds as if your dentist is very experienced. But if you don't feel comfortable with them or you've lost trust in them, you may want to get a second opinion, even if it's just to put your mind at rest.

I've read that once you have fillings in your teeth (esp. deep ones, which I think I have), you've essentially ruined your teeth because they will weaken the structure and will all eventually need to be replaced with a crown.

Sounds like complete hogwash to me... let me guess, some armchair dentist on Quora?

 

[Juliet12]

@letsconnect I had no clue! It makes sense though. I spent a lot of time snacking and drinking while in college— and that was the time i wasn’t seeing a dentist. I’ll keep that in mind.

I guess the only reason why I wouldn’t believe this current dentist is because of the shock of them uncovering so many cavities— I simply couldn’t believe it, so I doubted them. My partner’s father is a dentist and I’m thinking about traveling to see them this year- just to check in with the existing fillings and get a second opinion like you said.

Sounds like complete hogwash to me... let me guess, some armchair dentist on Quora?

I have been driving myself crazy with this idea for the past month! I know it sounds ridiculous, but should I expect to eventually crown all of my filled molars in the future? also, if I now take great care of my teeth with my new knowledge, can I expect to have fillings in the future? From what I’ve read in forums (reddit, quora) is that getting fillings sets you up for a lifetime of maintaining them and suffering over them.

 

[Kml1998]

@Juliet12 some people have had fillings last them 40 years etc. Having a fillings does not mean they will need to be replaced in the future with crowns

 

[Gordon]

@Juliet12 some people have had fillings last them 40 years etc. Having a fillings does not mean they will need to be replaced in the future with crowns

Yeah. Me (waves). More than 50 years and counting for most of my fillings.

I've got one tooth which needed a 3/4 crown (entirely my fault, I ignored the symptoms for ages thinking it was just sensitivity!) but that one actually hadn't been filled before, went straight to root canal/3/4 crown!

 

[Juliet12]

@Kml1998 @Gordon Wow Ok! That's really good to know!

 

[toothfailure]

@Juliet12Im going through the same exact thing. I had 8 and 3 redone that had just been done. Im scared too and going through the same things. These dentists are just conmen. Three fillings already fell out. Im so mad ive got holes in my teeth now. What can I do? Im 33 so I feel like giving up. Why did I allow this?