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Waiting 2 months for Fillings? *Multiple Cavities

L

leahnicole

Junior member
Joined
Oct 2, 2017
Messages
8
Location
North Carolina
Hi, A little backstory - I was unable to go to the dentist for a few years (mainly anxiety but also finances/lack of insurance).
I missed 3 or 4 cleanings. I also had a lot of anxiety about having my teeth worked due to a traumatic event at my last dentist office. At that last visit I had an on-lay and cavity filled in one visit and while in the chair I had the most painful experience of my life. The most painful nerve pain shot through my teeth, gums cheek and ear. It was terrible. It gripped me for 2 hours afterwards and the nerve took a long time to settle down (1.5 years). After years of intermittent facial pain it has subsided. Thought it might be the trigeminal nerve but never got a diagnosis.
So I finally got my teeth cleaned last Friday at a new dentist office and I was told I have cavities in a bunch of teeth. I have always been prone to cavities and I have dry mouth. Im Not on any medications. I clinch and grind too. At my prior dentist I had some watches on the front teeth and I wonder if she maybe drilled less and watched. I went to her for 15 years so I wonder if all these cavities were watches at some point in the past?

Cavities:

  • 7 M Surface
  • 8 MD surfaces
  • 9 D surface
  • 10 M surface
  • 30 MOD surface - already knew about this one. Its also food trap
So all my anterior teeth. I have no pain in these teeth yet? I will be getting these filled in 2 months. I wish I could get them filled now, but financially I cant do it sooner - even with my insurance portion (50%). The hygienist showed me intra-oral pictures and x-rays of the area's of concern. I honestly couldn't tell what I was looking at anyway? The intra-oral images showed white areas and one brownish area on tooth 8 I believe? I also had small triangle areas on x-ray... The only tooth that occasional bothers me is 30.

Since I cant get fillings now, Im hoping to slow the cavity progression down a bit if that is even possible with better oral hygiene. I'm now brushing for a full two minutes (2x day). Rinsing with water or mouthwash after all meals and drinks and using Prevident fluoride toothpaste before bed. I plan to purchase an electric tooth brush. Cutting back on sweets and lemonade too. I have a huge sweet tooth. Thanks for reading ...
 
Not a dentist, but just wanted to offer support. I know it can take a long time for cavities to go from watch to a problem. I had a "watch" on some surface decay on number 30 for over a year. My dentist recommended daily flossing, and switching to a tooth paste with higher fluoride content. I asked about the cavity at the next year's appointment, and the dentist didn't even see any decay at that point.
 
A couple more months shouldn't really make a difference. I'll post a link to a guide here that talks about how to prevent or slow decay. Good hygine helps but diet is the biggest factor. You sound a bit unsure of the treatment plan. It may also be beneficial to get a second opinion to ease your mind.

 
Two times in my life I have stopped going to the dentist, each with drastically different outcomes.
At 18 and independent, I made
The decision to not go to the dentist for about 12-13 years! This was after a childhood of hating the dentist for the shame and fear and pain. I went back to the dentist because now I was a mom and wanted to set the right example. After all those years, I had not one cavity. Fast forward 10 years and two more kids later, I stopped going to the dentist after I lost a tooth due to a failed root canal. The hygienist was so mean when I went to the follow up. She did full xrays and was so rough. I moved and used that as a reason to not go to the dentist. I was taking my kids though. So this was now 3-4 year absence. This time I ended up with 10 cavities!!! I was shocked. Anyhow they were all in teeth that already had silver fillings. So I don’t know if that matters.

I just share this story so that you know you are not alone. I got all my teeth filled in about 6 weeks time. Good luck!
 
I'm really interested to hear more from others here, as I'm unfortunately in the same situation. I thought I could throw all the cash not going to regular bills at my teeth each month and work two jobs, but I can't and now I'm looking at not being able to fill anymore until my tax refund in January. The cavities were originally detected at the end of August. I'm really embarrassed at how poor I am my dentists office is a really nice private practice and I love them and they do good work but sometimes I feel like I don't belong there. If it weren't for the two crowns I had to get in September of be able to swing it but ugh I hate being poor.
 
I'm really interested to hear more from others here, as I'm unfortunately in the same situation. I thought I could throw all the cash not going to regular bills at my teeth each month and work two jobs, but I can't and now I'm looking at not being able to fill anymore until my tax refund in January. The cavities were originally detected at the end of August. I'm really embarrassed at how poor I am my dentists office is a really nice private practice and I love them and they do good work but sometimes I feel like I don't belong there. If it weren't for the two crowns I had to get in September of be able to swing it but ugh I hate being poor.

Try not to feel so bad. My husband and I have very good dental insurance. All those cavities I had filled were all covered 100 percent by our insurance. I know how lucky we were. He has a regular job that happens to have excellent benefits. It’s actually a big reason he stays at that job. We’re definitely not poor but we are definitely not rich either. Im not sure where you’re from but personally believe dental insurance should be lumped into health insurance and everybody should have health insurance regardless.
 
I know this isn’t always an option, but maybe apply for a Care Credit card. Most private dentists accept them I think. My husband has good health insurance, but the dental only pays $1200 per year, and the work I need is way over that. I applied for the Care Credit before I had any work done, got approved for $2500, maxed that out on the first round of treatment. I then made two payments, requested an increase and they upped it to $6000.00, which will definitely help. Again I know this isn’t always an option for everyone. Just wanted to throw my two cents in.
 
most dentist offer Care Credit card , i would suggest trying to get them filled asap because waiting could need for a crown or a root canal and they cheaper way to get them filled, i learned my lesson years ago,
 
I'm really interested to hear more from others here, as I'm unfortunately in the same situation. I thought I could throw all the cash not going to regular bills at my teeth each month and work two jobs, but I can't and now I'm looking at not being able to fill anymore until my tax refund in January. The cavities were originally detected at the end of August. I'm really embarrassed at how poor I am my dentists office is a really nice private practice and I love them and they do good work but sometimes I feel like I don't belong there. If it weren't for the two crowns I had to get in September of be able to swing it but ugh I hate being poor.

Hi Tulipere,

had seen your previous post in the Ask a Dentist section as well and wanted to offer some support. First of all dental work being unaffordable once someone needs a bit of work really sucks, earning money only to spend it for teeths must be exhausting and certainly anxiety raising. I am also not a huge fan of huge treatment plans that give you a final number of work and the cost all at once, I believe there are always treatments that are more urgent and the ones that can be spreaded and would love dentists to discuss those options straight away instead of overwhelming people straight after the first visit. Anyway.

I get the feeling of not belonging to your practice and feeling poor and was wondering what makes you feel this way - is it the look of the practice, is it the other patients? Sometimes if places feel very fancy and unfamiliar it can trigger feelings of being poor or feeling minor but the most important thing is this: you are doing your best for your health and you are operating within your possibilities and that is great. My wish is that you will, over time, feel more comfortable and more belonging in your practice.

Tooth decay a dynamic process and it is all about balance between the mineralization and demineralization phases. You might have seen the link @Sol posted further above and I am very confident that if you keep on taking care of what you eat and of your home care, things won't get worse until January. Also if the cavities were extra deep or urgent, I would expect your dentist to suggest to fill them as first.

All the best wishes, sending you a virtual hug and keep us posted
 
I think it's the look of the practice and the way everyone is dressed and all... Its not too bad or anything, I really like my dentist and the hygienists and the receptionist is really awesome too. Luckily it's just cavities, I just want to get it all done now so I can stop worrying about it, so it gets frustrating at times. Luckily the only thing that kind of hurts is my wisdom teeth (my uppers flare up and make my sinuses hurt sometimes) I'm taking the best care of my teeth I can every day, thank you so much for your kind words! :)
 
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