Three fillings in one tooth?

I've got this tooth and it has a small filling in the biting surface of it from a few years ago. I was at the dentist today and he says that I have got a cavity between this tooth and the one in front of it AND the one behind it.......so there's two new cavities on this tooth that's already got a filling in it.





What will happen when I go to get the new fillings? Will he make it one big filling? Or will there be three separate fillings in the same tooth? I never knew they could do that.

Three fillings in one tooth?
There will be three seperate fillings if the decay isn't too bad. If there is significant decay, he may end up pulling the tooth. My dentist uses a very accurate phrase - You don't have to floss ALL your teeth, just the ones you want to keep.





Gum disease from poor hygiene can lead to heart and other problems, too.
Reply:Sure. You can end up with three tiny fillings on one tooth. We generally charge "per surface," though, so you won't be paying for three fillings. When the decay gets to the dentin (inner) layer, though, it generally spreads quite a bit. Do not be surprised if three "tiny" cavities meet up once they get below the surface and you would end up with one larger filling.
Reply:I think it probably depends how close the new cavities go to the old filling. If they go pretty close to it, he'll probably take out the old filling and make one large filling in your tooth to take care of all the cavities. If the new cavities are really small, he'll probably just put separate fillings in. I think!!!
Reply:They can make three fillings in one tooth that don't get anywhere near each other. It all depends on the size of the cavities. Cavities are basically holes in the enamel of your teeth. They can be very small or they can be very big. If they're too close together, however, they have to drill the whole area out and make one big filling. In your case, given the locations you described, your dentist may put two more small fillings in that tooth. The less drilling and filling they have to do, the better.
Reply:At this point, they'll probably forego the extra fillings and install a crown instead.
Reply:It will be three tiny fillings unless the cavities are big. Then it may cover the whole tooth.
Reply:lol