Hi,

I am 24 years old, and until now I have only had one filling.
Recently, I moved to a new area and visited a new dentist a few days
ago.  He used DIAGNOdent, and found 4 cavities all registering around a
reading of 22-27 on the DIAGNOdent meter.  He wants me to get fillings
because of these numbers.  My previous dentist did not find these
cavities using the pick test.  I had my last visit a little less than a
year ago.  I have maintained the same brushing habits throughout my
life, so I am skeptical about these new findings.

I have a few questions before I make my decisions whether to go ahead
with the fillings.

1.) My dentist checked for cavities before I had my cleaning.   Will
food particles, plaque, or tartar alter the numbers on the DIAGNOdent
meter?

2.) I've searched through some other threads and found some doctors who
suggested waiting on readings below 40 on the DIAGNOdent reading.  Is
27 considered enough for a filling?  or are there alternative less
expensive measures I can take to fix the problem.

3.) When the dentist scanned my teeth using his camera, he did not seem
very confident about seeing cavities with his visual inspection.  He
used the words "this may be a cavity", even though it was small.  Some
teeth with similar visual inspection results registered a 5 on the
DIAGNOdent, and the dentist told me they were just stains.

Thanks for any advice.

Mike