I had two partial fillings done. They’d been hurting on and off for almost three months, which is since I got them. The dentist told me that is pretty normal. They’re my first ever fillings so I just dealt with it and hoped I didn’t get any more decay. I can tell you I’ve been brushing my teeth quite a bit extra! The pain became a bit worrisome to me so I went in to see another dentist and asked him to do an x-ray just for my own peace of mine. He said that the teeth should be extracted because they have an infection. I just wanted to make sure this is my only option before I extracted two teeth. I feel like I’m in a bit of a nightmare. If I do have to lose two teeth, how do I replace them?
Alison
Dear Alison,
I am sorry for what you are going through. There are a couple of things bothering me about this. As much as you probably don’t want to, I think you need to get a THIRD opinion. It’s possible you have either two incompetent dentists or else one of them is a bit dishonest. First, I’m wondering, if these teeth are infected, which I suspect they are, how that happened. Were the fillings placed incorrectly? The purpose of the filling was to prevent a tooth infection.
However, the second dentist does not sound much better. You definitely do have other options. Not only that, but dentists are under an ethical obligation to tell them all to you. It sounds like that didn’t happen for you. When a tooth is infected, when at all possible, you will want to save the tooth. This is done by getting a root canal treatment. An extraction is only for when a tooth cannot be saved. In that case, you will want to extract it and replace it. The best tooth replacement is a dental implant. However, there are other options as well. The first step is finding out if that is actually necessary.
Though I am sure you are frustrated, I would not put this off. Dental infections spread. Once it leaves the tooth it can reach your brain, throat, and heart. Any one of these can turn a dental emergency into a life threatening one.
This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.