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Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / December 2004

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Is it really neccessary to fill up molar cavity for very small area ?

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Sanjay - 09 Dec 2004 15:12 GMT
I visited dentist today for teeth cleaning and he told me to fill up
one of my molar cavity. I saw the cavity and it's very small black
area on the molar. Also I did not feel any kind of pain during the
molar cleaning. So my main questions are,

is it really ncessary to fill up the cavity ?
is there any side effect if I want to fill it up now ?
or If in case I don't fill, will it be more problematic later ?

I have been seeing this black area on the molar since 2-3 years and I
don't feel any prbolem with that.

Please advise...  I will appreciate that.

Thanks
Sanjay
Adenosine - 09 Dec 2004 16:15 GMT
>I visited dentist today for teeth cleaning and he told me to fill up
>one of my molar cavity. I saw the cavity and it's very small black
>area on the molar. Also I did not feel any kind of pain during the
>molar cleaning. So my main questions are,
>
>is it really ncessary to fill up the cavity ?

No, not unless you want to control the disease in your tooth.

>is there any side effect if I want to fill it up now ?

Yeah, bacteria keep on destroying more and more tooth structure.

>or If in case I don't fill, will it be more problematic later ?

Leave it long enough and the decay will reach the pulp, and it will
abscess. This will not feel good. Then you will be in for a root canal
and crown that costs many many times more than a filling and is a much
more complex procedure.

>I have been seeing this black area on the molar since 2-3 years and I
>don't feel any prbolem with that.

Sounds like you want to live in Egypt.

>Please advise...  I will appreciate that.
>
>Thanks
>Sanjay

Look at it from this perspective. A one surface filling now is
probably under $200. A root canal and crown will easily run you over
$1,000. If you see a rust spot on your car do you wait until you have
a 3 foot hole in your vehicle to do something about it?

--
Adenosine
Semi-informed Dental Consumer ?
Steven Fawks - 09 Dec 2004 16:33 GMT
First, it is impossible for anyone to know the condition of your tooth
over the internet.  However a few general comments might be in order.

Cavities are often like icebergs......what you see on the surface is not
nearly as big as what is below the surface.  A small black line or dot
may only be the entry opening to a significant crater below the enamel.

Untreated, small cavities turn into large cavities and can invade the
nerve space (pulp).  This in turn leaves you with a choice between an
extraction and a root canal (besides destroying more tooth structure).

Sometimes, little black dots are just little black dots.  As dentists,
we make those decisions every day.  Treat now or wait.  If you don't
trust this dentist's advice, get a second opinion.

Waiting for pain or visible (to you) tooth damage as a signal for
treatment is a BIG mistake.

JMHO,
Fawks

> is it really ncessary to fill up the cavity ?
> is there any side effect if I want to fill it up now ?
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Thanks
> Sanjay
Joel M. Eichen - 09 Dec 2004 17:58 GMT
>First, it is impossible for anyone to know the condition of your tooth
>over the internet.

True.

> However a few general comments might be in order.
>
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>> Thanks
>> Sanjay
Joel M. Eichen - 09 Dec 2004 17:57 GMT
>I visited dentist today for teeth cleaning and he told me to fill up
>one of my molar cavity. I saw the cavity and it's very small black
>area on the molar. Also I did not feel any kind of pain during the
>molar cleaning. So my main questions are,
>
>is it really ncessary to fill up the cavity ?

Probably .....

>is there any side effect if I want to fill it up now ?
>or If in case I don't fill, will it be more problematic later ?

YUP.

>I have been seeing this black area on the molar since 2-3 years and I
>don't feel any prbolem with that.

Then possibly its okay. Why not try another dentist .. .for a second
opinion. But fake him out. Do not say nuttin' at all.

Joel

>Please advise...  I will appreciate that.
>
>Thanks
>Sanjay
Sanjay - 10 Dec 2004 14:07 GMT
Thanks for quick reply and your opinions I appreciate that. I am agree
with you regarding not to wait until infection go up to root.

However, I have one more question. is filling process has any side
effects ? or is it sure filling will stop infection (stop rusting) ?
Best Regards,
Sanjay
Joel M. Eichen - 10 Dec 2004 15:06 GMT
>Thanks for quick reply and your opinions I appreciate that. I am agree
>with you regarding not to wait until infection go up to root.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>Best Regards,
>Sanjay

The big question is, "Is it into the nerve or not?"
The Real Paul - 09 Dec 2004 21:46 GMT
Sanjay, we dentists try to be preventive in the course of treatment with our
patients. If you wait until you feel pain then you have double, triple, or
quadrupled the cost, effort, and time required to fix your tooth. Get the
spot filled. They ONLY get bigger.

> I visited dentist today for teeth cleaning and he told me to fill up
> one of my molar cavity. I saw the cavity and it's very small black
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> Thanks
> Sanjay
StovePipe - 11 Dec 2004 17:17 GMT
> Sanjay, we dentists try to be preventive in the course of treatment with our
> patients. If you wait until you feel pain then you have double, triple, or
> quadrupled the cost, effort, and time required to fix your tooth. Get the
> spot filled. They ONLY get bigger.

Not to mention the fact that usually, the smaller it is, the stronger
the tooth is. The tooth will support the filling and there is a good
chance you will never have to touch it again. If you wait until the
tooth is weakened by the caries undermining it, then you'll need a
filling or crown that will support the tooth. (The filling has to
support the tooth, instead of having a naturally strong tooth with a
small filling).

In one phrase: being conservative usually means treat it now when it's
small and easy to do.

Re: side effects: Chances are you won't even need to be frozen for this
procedure. No side effects of anesthesia (itching, small irritation at
the site of injection, usually minor and of no consequence). I would try
to place a composite (more conservative than an Amalgam filling, unless
the hole is already a couple of mm wide.

Side effects of Amalgam: there is Mercury in it and we don't know what
that really does, although the only real scientifically controlled
studies I've seen point to more risk to the dentist than to the patient.
That's because when we drill out and place Amalgam fillings in your
mouth, we inhale the dust. That's why you see pictures of dentists with
oxygen masks on their faces in some of these web sites. (rediculous,
IMO, if the treatment rooms are well ventilated).

Side effects of composite: the resins we use contain monomers and
chemicals that resemble estrogen compounds. This means you may be
exposed to weakly estrogenic activity coming from the filling. I first
heard of this a few years ago, but it does not seem to have become a
real issue: Patients with a lot of composite fillings in their mouths
don't seem to be affected by any estrogenic activity of the materials.
This makes my question whether or not there is any real effect. It's
getting to the point where I don't listen to laboratory researchers
much, any more, as the work they do and the findings they report are
often not really relevant.

The bottom line: if it were my tooth, I'd say treat it now with
composite with no hesitation what so ever. The same recommendations
would apply if it was my young children. If the caries was in an area
where the gum tissue would produce bleeding when cleaning the decay out,
I would not hesitate (in the adult) to place an Amalgam, if I couldn't
control the bleeding or the saliva.
Hope I've helped you decide.
SP
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Not a real Addy, yet

The Real Paul - 13 Dec 2004 13:20 GMT
Hey good info Stove!

> > Sanjay, we dentists try to be preventive in the course of treatment with our
> > patients. If you wait until you feel pain then you have double, triple, or
[quoted text clipped - 47 lines]
> --
> Not a real Addy, yet
all4sanjay@yahoo.com - 13 Dec 2004 14:09 GMT
Nice to have this kind of group and supporting people like you, thank
you.  I felt comfartable by reading your opinions and decided to go
dentist again. I had gone today and filled out the rusty spot on the
molar.

Thanks again
Sanjay
StovePipe - 15 Dec 2004 03:00 GMT
> Hey good info Stove!

> > Not to mention the fact that usually, the smaller it is, the stronger
> > the tooth is..... etc ad noseum....

Gee, thanks, TRP!... <nyuck, nyuck, nyuck!> ... <sniff, square
shoulders, brush back hair, snap suspenders....>....  ;-)

SP
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Not a real Addy, yet

 
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