Have 3 fillings coming up this week, need advice please

[BensonBooga]

[skip the first paragraph and question 4 if you are a fellow dental phobic]

I didn't go to the dentist for 10 years, my entire 20's, then all of a sudden I hit 30 and desperately need help as my tooth has cracked and kills. I go to the dentist and have various appointments, for teeth out and fillings. At this point I didn't care about anything as I was in so much pain. One annoying thing though that happened was I had a tooth that wasn't causing me any pain taken out and it broke in the pliers and they spent 2 hours trying to pull it out of my mouth, even with a numb mouth I could feel bad pressure pain and had blood pouring out of me. I was sent to the hospital and had a x-ray, but I chickened out of the operation as the dentist said the root he had to remove was very close to my nerve and I needed to sign something to give clearance in case it was hit. So I walked away and let the gum cover over the broken root instead. No pain now thankfully, but I was left with a lot of pain and a huge hole for a while. I feel thankful I left it, but I know one day it may rear its ugly head.

Anyway, I start looking up about this nerve issue that he mentioned as I had no idea about it, and found it can even happen with a simple injection for numbing. So now I am paranoid greatly about the dentist hitting the nerve. Even though I have no pain at all and for the first time in a long time my mouth feels great, I am told I need 3 fillings, 2 at the back bottom and 1 at the top. Here are my concerns......

1. Given I feel no pain, but I am being told from x-rays that I need the fillings, should I go for it or ask them to just keep an eye on them ? Is it true that no pain felt does not always mean everything is fine ?

2. Two of my fillings are at the bottom of the mouth near the back. I know there is very little that can be done about preventing nerve damage, but should I be concerned about it ? Like I say above, because my mouth feels so perfect right now I am hating the thought of something going wrong when I could have been sitting pretty and pain-free if I hadn't gone.

3. Is it wise to ask to have them done without any anaesthetic ?

4. When the tooth was pulled out that broke (fourth tooth in from Wisdom at bottom left) and I had a massive hole, how come the nerve was not hit then ? It was a huge hole. Does this mean my nerves could be far down my mouth/gum ?

5. Perhaps only those in the UK will know this, but I had a panoramic (??) x-ray done at the dental hospital, the ones that move around your mouth, do these results go to my dentist and be in my files ? I cancelled the operation as mentioned above, but I just wondered if they still got sent back to my dentist ? As I think when I viewed the x-rays at my dentist they were the basic ones and not the panoramic ones.

Thanks everyone, sorry for what probably sounds like over the top questions, but I had messing around with my mouth when I feel fine The weird thing is when I went to the dentist in pain at about 30 and had so much work done, I had no idea about the nerve thing so didn't care less, but now at 35 because I know of it I am a nervous (no pun) wreck about it, dammit.

 

[Brittany48]

I have 5 fillings being done today on my left side, broken down two four small cavities on my upper molars and 1 bigger cavity on the furthest back bottom molar, so I'll have both the top and bottom numbed. Over the last three weeks I've had 5 additional fillings done on my left side. Before I went to the dentist in March and was told of the cavities, I'd never felt any pain or sensitivity from them whatsoever but once she started drilling we realized how close to the nerves and how close to becoming root canals the cavities were so I would definitely recommend having the cavities filled ASAP before they turn into bigger problems that require a more invasive procedure. My bottom molar had a difficult time getting numbed, even after two injections, and even though I felt twinges of pain I told her to keep going to get it done but I can't imagine having cavities filled WITHOUT anesthetic and most dentists nowadays aim at providing pain free and comfortable care.

 

[BensonBooga]

Thanks Brittany for the info and reassurance. I really hope your treatment goes well today I will be in a similar position tomorrow. Yikes.

 

[Spike 1969]

Hello there and

I'm no dentist but based upon experience of these procedures I would reply as best I can as follows:

1. Having had a couple of replacement fillings done yesterday, I can echo what Brittany says, if left it's not a matter of if but when you are going to get some pretty bad discomfort if the decay advances too far. My 2 old amalgam fillings had small shadows on the radiographs but my dentist told me that it's not really possible to determine the exact extent without removing the old filling and decay so prevention is definitely better than cure!

2. I'm not quite sure what you mean by nerve damage, if a cavity is very deep it is possible to "upset" the pulp as a dentist may need to go quite close, that being the case they can put a "dressing" under the filling to protect the root(s) of the tooth. Sometimes it requires a root treatment but I don't think it's possible to know until the dentist starts removing the decayed areas. I would also be wary of reading too many scared stories as problems with modern dentistry are very few and far between.

3. Not having Anaesthetic is usually a personal choice I think some people have minor procedures done without a local but if the cavities are deep or in areas likely to be painful my own preference is to have the tooth numbed
As to be honest I don't mind what is done as long as I can't feel it. I would discuss this with your dentist and take their advice as to whether it's a good idea.

4. If you are talking about the nerve that goes to the lower lip, there is no real way to tell this apart from taking X Rays and/or a CT Scan. The reason I know this is I am looking at an Implant in the future and we are being cautious to avoid screwing an implant into this nerve so the CT Scan will give the best 3D picture and measurement of this, again it's a question to ask the dentist when you go.

The key to this is communication with the dentist, I would write down your questions and take them with you and ask the dentist, they are there to help but are not mind readers So if you ask and discuss your needs as a customer most dentists will answer honestly and give you an opinion so you can both arrive at the best decision for your needs.

hope this is of help.

kind regards

 

[BensonBooga]

Thanks Spike, reassuring stuff, cheers. Yes, it is the Lingual nerve and the Inferior Alveolar nerve that concern me, they run so close to the teeth that if the numbing injection goes in to them by accident it causes an almighty electric shock and you can be left with permanent numbness or burning in the mouth. It is rare, but still happens in about 1 out of 1000 people supposedly. 80% heal completely within 2 years, but the other 20% are stuck with it. Also 2 years is a long time to wait for the others.

The thing is though I never knew about this nerve before when I have had 10's of injections, so I had nothing to worry about then Now I know about it, it has played on my mind, even to the point of risking the pain from the drill over the chance of nerve damage.

I am sure come tomorrow I will chat with the dentist and hopefully be eased by their words.

 

[Tome]

I'm not a dentist, but I think it's quite possible to have carries / cavities which aren't painful ( I have a lot) but which are slowly growing and will end up painful if they aren't fixed. A golden rule is that if you aren't sure getting a second opinion can be a good idea. If two dentists agree something needs to be fixed they are probably right.

Nerve damage... yes, it's a risk. But a very small one. If the dentist really believed it was a high risk in your case he'd refer you to a specialist. Think of it this way: most people you meet will have had multiple fillings. How many people have you met who have had nerve damage from fillings?

Anesthetic... if the dentist advises it, I'd have it. If I didn't want anesthetic I might ask for hypnosis instead. There are procedures where you don't need it, of course, but I'd follow the dentists advice.

X-Rays... dentists can request copies of the xrays from hospitals. They won't always (many prefer to take their own xrays) but they can if they believe it necessary. You can also ask for copies of your own xrays under the data protection act, with a maximum cost of up to £50.

 

[BensonBooga]

Thanks Tome, and thanks everyone else too.

So I am back from the dentists, had the 3 fillings done, I am unsure but I think a 4th may have been sneaked in too as it was right by another being done. So at least 3, maybe 4 fillings.

My mouth is still completely numb, so I can't comment on any pain I will soon feel, or chance of hit nerves, but the procedure seemed to go fine. Very nice and happy female dentist, very happy and pleasant assistant, which is always good, Had only about 60 seconds of waiting time before I was called. This is only the 2nd time I have seen this dentist, but the first for treatment (first visit was check-up).

I didn't say anything to the dentist about my fears of the needle hitting nerves in my gum, so I just said go for it. I held my breath as every needle was injected, in case I felt that tell-tale sign of an electric shock. As you can see from my first message, that was my primary concern. Thankfully I didn't feel it, but I sure went numb fast, within seconds my top lip was gone. I had 3 to 4 injections done one after the other, one side of the mouth then the other and top and bottom. The injections themselves didn't hurt. I was then sat up and told to drink some liquid to get rid of any taste, did so and spat on the floor by accident as I misjudged the sink distance, ooops, very embarrassing.

I was given an electric sucking tool to put in my mouth, but the end kept coming off, which caused me to a bit concerned about swallowing it, as I found it hard to know where it was in my mouth due to the numbness. Given there was also an assistant there sucking saliva with a tool, I have a feeling this device may have been a diversionary tactic to keep my mind off things. Who knows. My arm sure ached though holding it to my mouth for an hour, although I did swap hands. Never had that done before during fillings.

Hated the sound of the drill, my ears felt it badly, but thankfully my teeth didn't, a very tiny little bit of pain every so often, but less than a second each time, it was the noise that was worse. Then some kind of vibration tool was used, that was the worst thing, as I did feel pressure "pain" there, but again because I am numb it was not a bad pain, just a numb pressure. I don't think I have ever seen that tool before, but it was quite big and sure made your head and mouth shake.

Then came the clamps, which I guess were used for the filling. The only issue here was the awful taste I got, I felt a bit like I was choking as I kept swallowing this awful liquid. I asked the dentist after what that was, and she said it was likely the decay from a tooth. Well it sure tasted bad whatever it was. Thankfully the assistant saw I was glugging a bit in my throat and sucked out any more liquid.

Final time was 1 hour, it was 20 minutes longer than they expected, but they said everything went to plan. As I say, I have no idea how I will feel when the anaesthetic wears off, but the procedure seemed to go as planned. Certainly different to how I remember my last filling being done, but I guess different dentists do it different ways. If after the numbing has gone I don't feel much, then I will sure be happy I got it done and out the way. I was so close to postponing the appointment.

Thanks all !! I will update tomorrow with a after effects verdict

 

[Tome]

Thanks for keeping us updated. It's good to hear everything went well. Don't worry about misjudging your spitting - it happens all the time. Side effect of a properly numbed mouth

 

[BensonBooga]

Thanks

One small issue, the numbing is wearing off and my lower left tooth, where I had work done (and probably the biggest filling), is throbbing quite badly, like a real ache. Is this natural given all the clamps, drilling, and such like in that area ? My other fillings seem to feel okay thus far.

 

[Brittany48]

First of all: CONGRATULATIONS!!

As for the throbbing, totally normal. Yesterday evening when my numbing wore off, the whole side of my mouth that was worked on was throbbing painfully and I ended up in bed by 7:30PM to sleep it off. I spoke to the dentist about it and she said some throbbing/soreness for a few days is totally normal because of the needles and drilling and clamps and being open for so long and to take tylenol to relieve it.

 

[Tome]

Yeah, I'd say it's normal BUT - I also think it's very important to raise any concerns/issues/questions you have with your dentists office. That's what they're paid for. (especially when it's something to do with pain)

 

[BensonBooga]

Thanks Brittany and Tome. One thing I have found is that the tooth that is aching is sensitive to hot food. Would you say that is normal ? I think it is my back wisdom tooth that was filled in that area, along with a molar close to it. I just tried to drink some hot tea and it throbbed badly.

 

[Brittany48]

With composite fillings sensitivity to hot, cold, pressure is normal for about a week until the filling settles down, and the deeper/larger the filling is, the longer it can take to settle. One of the fillings I had done yesterday, on upper molar, is very sensitive today as I learned when I tried drinking soup for lunch as overall, my mouth is too sore to chew anything substantial.

 

[Spike 1969]

Hi Benson

Is the filling a composite (tooth colour) or amalgam (silver)? as sometimes composite fillings can result in sensitivity that normally resolves itself after 7-10 days (quote from my dentist).

hope this is helpful.

kind Regards

 

[BensonBooga]

Ah, my filling is silver, does this mean it shouldn't be sensitive ?

 

[Tome]

Ah, my filling is silver, does this mean it shouldn't be sensitive ?

No. It's very common for silver fillings to be sensitive to cold/heat at first. Metal is a better conductor of heat than normal tooth. It settles down for most people reasonably quickly.

 

[Spike 1969]

As Tome says, either filling can be sensitive, it depends upon the individual filling, I was told by my dentist this can be up to 7-10 days so I don't think you should be worried at this stage.

Well done for getting the work sorted, big thumbs up