question about sedative filling..

[throughagreyseyes]

I just got home from getting a large cavity filled on tooth #2. (Top right next to my wisdom tooth.). My dentist said the decay was very close to the nerve and it's borderline if it needs a root canal or just a filling (I'm so freaked out now.) Anyway, she put a sedative filling in it, and said we will see how it goes over the next month. If it's OK, she'll replace it in about 6 weeks with a regular filling. If it's not OK I'll need a root canal. Does anyone have any experience with this? What are my chances of this working and not needing the root canal?
Thanks!

 

[robotguy]

I've currently got a large sedative filling in one of my upper teeth. Its been there for nearly three months now, while I get other things sorted out. The sedative filling has meant that I have no pain from this tooth since its been put in.

In fact, I've had a lot of sedative dressings put on my teeth while I'm working through 26 years of neglect, which is taking time to do. The dressings has given me releif from pain for the whole time they have been on.

Now I know that this top tooth with the huge filling in is going to come out in a couple of weks time, as there is just not enough tooth left to do a repair with, but others with the sedative dressings on have brought me time to cope with getting fixed up by taking small steps, and not having to rush to get everything filled, which I couldn't have coped with being all done at once.

As to whether you will need a RCT, I can't say but at least the damage to that tooth should stop with the temp filling in place.