Got to get fillings - scared. Please help.?

Hi,





I just wanted to know if this was normal or not. I went to the dentist today for a check up and he says I need 4 fillings in my teeth. I was there a year ago and my teeth were all fine. Is it normal to get that many cavities in one year?





My mum is mad at me, she doesn't let me eat sweets at home, but I've been buying them at school and I think that's why I've got cavities now. My mum makes this huge deal about our teeth, my brother and sister have never had any cavities and they are older than me (I'm 15), so she's really angry with me now and I feel really bad about it.





What does it feel like getting fillings? I'm really scared now, because my friend says when she got a filling it was sore, and I have to get 4 of them!!!!! What do they actually do when they are giving you a filling? And how long does it take?





Thank you.


Cara.

Got to get fillings - scared. Please help.?
Hey hun, try not to worry about it too much. I don't know what the "normal" amount of cavities to get in one year is, 4 does seem like quite a lot to develop in one year, but I guess it depends on a few things really. You said that your mum doesn't let you eat sweets at home, is it only recently you've been eating them at school? If so, that might be why you have a few cavities developing in a short space of time.





Personally, I think you're done pretty well to get to 15 before you got your first cavities, there are lots of little kids out there who have cavities. So don't feel bad about it, it's normal to get cavities, practically everyone has them, I'm sure your mum will get over it.





I've had fillings in the past, and I need to get a whole load more done soon, don't worry, they're really not that bad. The worst part is the sound of the drilling, I'd advise you take your CD player and some headphones for during the procedure so that you can't hear the drill as much. It doesn't hurt unless the cavities are very deep, because they numb your mouth first. It doesn't take too long to do a filling, but it depends where it is on the tooth and how big it is. They probably won't do all 4 at the same time though.





Good luck hun, and try not to worry about it too much, it's not so bad. And make sure if you're going to continue eating sweets that you brush and floss every day!!!
Reply:It really doesn't hurt. They numb your gums, then give you novacaine and then drill the cavity out, then put the filling it. It really sounds worse than it is.
Reply:Having a dental phobia is completely normal - I'm 25 and nearly pass out before I make it into the office. It is hard to deal with, but it can be dealt with.





As for having fillings. I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but when I was 13 I had to have two cavities filled. Normal procedure is to numb the gums and mouth before drilling, but I was stubborn and refused to be sedated or have my mouth numbed. It did pinch to have the cavities drilled out, and tickled a lot, and I wouldn't wish to go through it again, but it wasn't horribly painful. You will most likely have your mouth numbed and the worst of it will be the tingling sensation as your mouth 'wakes up'. Just be sure to take an aspirin or something for pain and you'll be just fine!





And be sure to thoroughly brush your teeth and have fluoride treatments to help prevent future cavities.
Reply:I just had an old filling replaced. The worst part was the noise from the drilling.


They will numb your gums and then give you novacaine, after the numbing takes affect.


They had a new ultraviolet light that dried the filling (I think) and it was very fast. The whole procedure was less than 30 minutes in the chair.


Brush after each meal if you can, and floss daily, and that may be your last cavities.
Reply:Don't be scared. They will numb you and it will be over sooner than you think.
Reply:Its really not bad. They first give you gas to get you high, and you dont know whats going on. They then stick a needle in your gums and wiggle it. At this time they are shooting medicine that numbs your entire face for at least half a day. (which is cool if there is anyone you would like to fight) After this they take a drill that makes the most annoying sound in the world and drill out the center of your tooth. You cant really fill it though, that pain comes along later in the day. Good Luck
Reply:I just had 3 and they were done with the work within 45 minutes. They will give you a numbing shot, probably 2 if they are only working in one area. Your teeth might hurt for a day or two afterwards from the drilling and such, but it's nothing tylenol can't take care of. Your teeth will also be sensitive to cold, but that will eventually go away.


Remember, it's not just eating sugar that causes decay. Drinking coffee, teas, sodas, and even mild wreak havok on your teeth.


Be sure to brush and rinse with listerine everyday, but especially before bed. That's when the most decay takes place, at night when all the bad stuff is just sitting there in your mouth.





Oh, and if you get silver fillings, be carefull with sticking metal things in your mouth... I used to habitually chew on paper clips before I had my first filling. Aferwards though, the two dissimiliar metals will give you a shock when they come in contact with each other.
Reply:About the pain -- it is kind of unpleasant while the dentist is doing, it problably won't hurt the next day. They drill a hole in your tooth where the rotting area is, drilling away all the rotting part. Then they fill up the hole with acrylic, gold, or some other material. It's not really that different from patching a hole in a wall.





If you want to stop having cavities, you need to practice better oral hygeine. First, brush at least twice a day, and brush correctly. The idea is to scrub the little space where each tooth meets the gum. A lot of gunk collect there. Then use dental floss to scrape off the sides of your teeth -- you know, in between each tooth there is the left side of one tooth and the right side of the one next to it. Don't forget the back sides of your wisdom teeth.





Now here is an answer to the question you didn't ask: What causes tooth decay?





It's not food (not even sweets) and it's not bacteria. It's plaque. Plaque is a sticky substance that some bacteria produce to keep them from sliding right off of your teeth. It's a lot like the glue barnacles make to stick to the sides of a boat. Mouthwash may kill bacteria, but it does nothing to remove plaque.





You brush and floss to scrape and scrub away the plaque. If you go more than a day or two without a giving your teeth a good cleaning, then the plaque gets hard -- so hard you can't bush and floss it away. Then it can only be removed by a scraping from your dentist or hygeinist.





I used to have 2,3,4 or more cavities every checkup ... maybe 5 - 10 cavities a year. Then a dental hygeinist taught me how to clean my teeth RIGHT. That was over 30 years ago, and I have only had 2 small cavities since.





If you clean your teeth every day, and do it right, your cavities will be few and far between.





BTW, it doesn't matter if you clean your teeth and then eat. It's not the food that causes decay, it's the plaque.
Reply:doesn't hurt too bad. If you get nitrous oxide, all you really feel is the shot of Novocaine, and then hear the noises. If you can get nitrous, it is very nice.. :)

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