Cavities

Rhino

no, not those kind!

I went to dentist, they said I has some small cavities and should get them filled. Is this a scam? I've never had cavities before. They tried to show me the X-ray and they said "These are small cavities and they will just get bigger unless you get them filled" and there was just a very small faint spot on the xray - the other xrays didn't even have these are they where all like "you have untamed eyes".... I think they are trying to pull a fast one on me. Should I just go to another dentist and be all like "yea, just check them... and by 'them' I mean my teeth" and don't say anything unless they bring it up?

also I heard from some crazy guy that fillings, specifically metal ones, would make you go all stupid and dumb and eat away your brain. He was all crazy with the crazy hair and the shouting of the conspiracy theories... but he made a good point. He said "You just wouldn't eat a bunch of metal would you?" and I was like "no way!" and he was like "Well, why would you put metal on your teeth then? It'll just break off and you'll eat them. So don't get them unless you enjoy eating metal" and I was like "I don't like eating metal, it makes my gums bleed ". Then again, this was like when I was 7 years old so don't know if I'll still buy the argument without some more info. Can you get non-metal fillings?

EDIT: also my friend said to gargle [sea] salt and water after eating a meal to protect my teeth from cavities, is this true?

drinkinstout

do you have regular cleanings and a regular dentist?

if you are worried about fraud, get a second opinion - just find out from the dentist you went to which teeth had the cavities so you can compare what they say without telling the new one what the other said.

metal fillings, to my knowledge do no such thing.

yes, non-metal fillings are very common now - and are usually used on all surfaces that could be seen although do cost slightly more than metal I believe.

Al_wat

Lead fillings have been linked to some forms of dementia, but I'm pretty sure they don't use them anymore. I wouldn't worry about that.

As for the second opinion thing, if you want to shell out the money I say go for it. I've always been suspicious of dentists myself, but truthfully I don't know if that suspicion is rational or just paranoid.

Fireflash

Err, cavities are not a scam. They're litteraly small holes in your teeth. And yes, they will get bigger over time. A nice place for bacteria to flourish. And when that cavitiy reaches the nerve inside your tooth the bacteria will have one hell of a party.

zhen_rogue

Cavities do not need to be deep, black chasms.
If you doubt your dentist, get a second opinion.

However, drilling out and filling a portion or portions of your molar now, as opposed to later, is a very wise policy. Your fillings will likely be a porcelain or ceramic compound, and shouldn't need to be metal at all.

Perhaps you should see a dentist with a diagnodent laser.
This laser detects weak/pourous areas of your tooth enamel and identifies cavities before they become the classic black chasms.

You don't want a root canal, preventitive medicine is the way to go in terms of dentistry.

I suggest a second opinion, and get any weak spots or pre-cavities drilled/filled now.

EDIT: Gargling with sea-salt will help your gum tissue, breath, tongue, and tonsils more than your teeth.
I advocate gargling with salt water once/day for the above reasons, and rinsing your teeth with an ANTISEPTIC mouthwash after meals.

Don't gargle with the mouthwash - it will dry out your throat and defeat the purpose of your salt rinse.

EDIT EDIT: Tongue scraper, and floss are stellar practices as well!

witch_ie

Well, I'm no dentist, but I've been to some that I haven't trusted either. My response was to not let them touch me and go to someone else. I think you should probably go to someone for a second opinion, but don't tell them that you saw someone else. Even though they're not supposed to, dentists in my experience seem to love denigrating each other's work.

As for metal in your mouth, there's a lot of new technology out there...I got crowns with no metal in them at all, not even at the base, so there might be something new out there for fillings too. Ask your dentist and do some internet research. Sometimes there are things out there so new, they might not have adopted them yet.

Also, as far as salt water goes, I doubt it will help if you already have cavities (I repeat, I'm not a dentist), but my friend in dental school said that if you rinse with mouthwash or water after eating, it will help your teeth - get the sugar and acid off them from food. Also, don't drink cola. That stuff is totally bad for your teeth according to her.

aesir

I just got some cavities filled. The fillings were ceramic and you can't even see them on my teeth. They do taste a little off though... They, like you, were also a lot of small cavities. My teeth are more tender now, when before they didn't hurt at all.

From what I know (not a lot) you could probably just say that you dont think youre ready to get them filled yet until they get larger, and start redoubling your efforts on brushing and flossing your teeth in hopes that you can prevent them from growing anymore. Or you can just get em filled now. Frankly, if they're small now, they're gonna grow someday, and you'll need em filled. Might be a year. Might be five. Either way, its probably gonna happen.