Fillings

[sammd]

Do you have to have a filling when you have a cavity in the side of your tooth or only when it's in the horizontal part?

[ermintrude35]

...yes you do....

[sammd]

Argh. So what happens - they drill the inside of the tooth out and then fill it back up again? Can't they just fill the hole in? Is it painful?

[paddy_36]

If I've understood your question correctly, then yes, they have to drill the hole further before they fill it. If they filled it without drilling the remaining bad bits away, your tooth would continue to decay under the filling. No, it's not painful, as you get an anaesthetic jag to prevent you feeling any pain.

[sammd]

I thought fillings are always up in the horizontal part of the tooth. So they just drill and fill the hole in at the side of the tooth so i'll have a patch at the side of my tooth?

[valerieb1254]

I had one last week.Even the injection to numb it didn't hurt, over in no time.

[jason1980]

Hi, some people might not know this, but although not a dentist I love my teeth. Im 26, with no fillings, all my teeth 100% intact - BUT I have this thing which they thought was a cavity and it turned out to be something called a Developmental Pick, a natural indent in the tooth that is not going to decay or rot despite looking like a cavity.

There is a procedure called Air Abrasion that some dentists do to take the decay out of the cavity, meaning no need for a filling. Its done with microsand, not all dentists do it - but not all mention it. Dentists also have a gel which can actually reverse decay and it makes the decay strenghten your teeth - again not all tell you about it.

But its out there...

[ermintrude35]

...I used to be a dental nurse and the terms used by your dentist when they are calling out to the nurse to mark your chart are as follows...

Occlusal --- the top (horizontal ) grinding surface of the tooth

Mesial - forwards/ towards front of tooth (as in from back of mouth towards front)

Distal -- behind / towards back of tooth

Lingual -- next to the tounge (inside edge of teeth facing the inside of the mouth )

Labial -- next to your lips

Buccal -- The tooth surface which is next to your cheeks. Usually only posterior teeth touch your cheeks, so people usually use the term "buccal" only when talking about your back teeth, this is probably what you have, I have 3 small buccal fillings done years back with "amalgam" (mercury) but I think these days they are mostly done with a white filler...

[MrXLA]

In response to jason1980, you are quite correct about the techniques you have mentioned. However they are not appropriate in the vast majority of patients with frank cavitated lesions.

[sammd]

I'm confused now - think i need to phone up my dentist....