I need to find a dentist who has superior skills in cavity restoration (I am not interested in cosmetic dentistry per se). Would I still be well served seeing one of the listed cosmetic dentists? Or would another type of dentist be better?<\/p>\n
After decades of regular cleanings no dental issues, I apparently developed a ton of cavities during this past year with my third pregnancy. After the baby was born I started having severe pain with sweets all over. I went in for a checkup\u00a0and had seven cavities. I had three\u00a0filled with composite (her recommendation). One filling is fine. However, two weeks later I still have severe pain with chewing on the other two. They occasionally just ache as well. It is extreme with one of the lower molars. They have checked the bite twice and say it is fine. They offered to drill out and refill saying I might have a crack now. (They have also mentioned root canal and crown). This was a molar with no previous dental work. I feel like I am losing my teeth over what were all supposedly small cavities. It hurts to floss by the fillings. I can’t chew on one side (both the upper and lower fillings hurt) and am desperately trying to figure out whom to see and whom to trust. It’s very frustrating. Six months ago I had no issues with my teeth – just a few old fillings from when I was a kid. I just want someone who is really, really good.<\/p>\n
Any help would be appreciated.
\n– Carol from Minnesota<\/p>\n
Carol, If three out of the four fillings\u00a0are having this problem, I wouldn’t have this dentist be the one to re-do them, especially since she doesn’t seem to understand the problem. And yes, the recommended Minnesota cosmetic\u00a0dentists we list, who all have advanced training in bonding technology, would be where to go. They would all understand this problem, and would be excellent.<\/p>\n The problem is that dental schools are very conservative institutions and almost all of them are still\u00a0teaching amalgam fillings<\/a> on posterior teeth. So dentists have to pursue the training for doing the composites on their own, and their training is often lacking. They assume that the technique for doing white fillings<\/a> on posterior teeth is the same for doing them on front teeth (the schools teach how to do them on front teeth), but there are some important differences, and this dentist hasn’t learned them all.<\/p>\n Dr. Hall<\/p>\n \n
\nYes, there may be a problem with the technique of this dentist in doing composite fillings<\/a>. I hope I am understanding\u00a0your comments correctly. You are saying “pain from chewing” and not “pain from biting<\/a>.” There is a difference. You say they have checked the bite, and it is fine. If there is no pain when you clench your teeth together,\u00a0but there is pain from chewing after a new posterior composite filling on the chewing surface, it almost always will be from a problem with the bond of the new filling to the tooth, and would be fixed if the filling is removed and bonded properly, if you catch it soon enough. See our page on pain after new fillings<\/a>, and read the second from the last bullet for more information on this problem.<\/p>\n
| We thank our advertisers who help fund this site.<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |