I just got back from the dentist and i NEED to know if this is normal [read details]?

Question

This is my first cavity. I have a cavity in one of my molars and i went to my dentist to get it filled. I had it all summer so it was kind of big but anyway, she gave me anasthetic (or however its spelled) and she started poking at the tooths hole and drilling around it. Even with the anasthetic it was hurting so she stopped for a while "to let the ansthetic work more" but it didnt work at all because it still hurt so much when she drilled around the center of the hole. When she stopped i felt around my cavity with my tongue and the hole felt bigger I dont know if that was normal. was she supposed to make it bigger? AND she didnt fill it. She said we're going to have to do it another day because she doesnt know why it was still hurting so she filled it with some white gunk thats hardened right now. Its uncomfortable. Should i go to another dentist to see what they'll do? MAYBE THEYLL DO A BETTER JOB.

Answer 1

if u r a heavy drinker or u used to take some kind of medicines or may be drugs ..all this will effect &decrease your response to local anasthesia...in the other hand may be ur dentist didn't give you enough anas. or didn't inject it exactly where it should be inject.(((all the above reasons are normal and common but not in your case)))...in your case you didn't trust your dentist you were affraid of drilling and injecting a foriegn solution in your mouth tissues ((believe me that the main common cause of what you suffered from)) ...psychological cause very common in the first dental procedure in the life and in some cases it remain with the person all his life .....the other issue ((a bigger cavity)) that's normal cause the dentist have to clean tooth cavity from dead and decayed tooth tissues and food debris accomulated in the cavity and apart of the healthy tooth tissue to make sure that the decay will not return back eatin the rest of your tooth because any micro soft caries spot if left will reactivate itself after dressing the permenant filling ........and it's good for you when she didn't filled ur tooth with a permenant metal filling material ...it will be very painfull for you in the first 3-7 days.(((good luck....by the way i'm a dentist)))

Answer 2

Getting your teeth fixed is always uncomfortable! When they drill out the decay the hole is always bigger. They have to remove all the decay inside the tooth. It sounds like the dentist is being very cautious by sending you home with a temporary filling. Some Dentists would just have filled it & then deal with the next problems that might appear latter. It sounds like a good dentist to me. If you are still concerned you could call up the dentist & ask her the same question. If you don't like her answeres you could always go to another dentist for a second oppinion.

Answer 3

The "bigger hole" is nothing to be alarmed about....think of a cavity like a hole in an apple.....the worm makes a small hole on the outside of the apple and once it gets in it goes crazy on the soft inside and eats it all. So a dentist has to go in and chase all of the cavity and remove it until there is only healthy tooth left. So that part is fine. In my opinion....it sounds like your dentist is worried you may need a root canal on this tooth and she is waiting to see if it settles down. If it doesn't you'll need the root canal. If it does, you can go back and get the filling. But why would a dentist put a filling in a tooth he/she feels may need to be removed to do the rootcanal? The answer ....they wouldn't. Sounds like your dentist is pretty conservative (which is good) and is basing her treatment on your tooth. I would listen to her.

Answer 4

For the most part as far as the paperwork I am guilty of only scanning over it. Not all dentists take all insurances so i make sure and ask at the begining of the appointment if i am covered and how much the total will be ahead of time. If you tell them as well as give them the paperwork then they are left with no choice but to pay. If they didn't read the papers nor listen to someone telling them that they are not completly covered then it's their own fault.

Answer 5

IF THIS WAS FOR A LOWER MOLAR SHE PROBABLY GAVE YOU AN INJECTION OF ANESTHETIC FOR A LOWER BLOCK. THIS CAN BE EASILY MISSED IF THE DENTIST WAS UNSURE.
MANY TIMES A CAVITY IS BIGGER ONCE YOU START TO DRILL. THE DENTIST HAD TO MAKE IT BIGGER TO GET ALL THE DECAY OUT. WHY SHE DIDN'T FILL IT WITH A PERMANENT FILLING IS A MYSTERY TO ME PERSONALLY.
SHE PUT IN A TEMPORARY FILLING TO SEE HOW WELL THIS TOOTH RESPONDED.
A TOOTH MUST BE COMPLETELY NUMB BEFORE DRILLING.
GOING TO A DIFFERENT DENTIST WOULD NOT REALLY MAKE IT ANY LESS PAINFUL. YOU'D STILL NEED A SHOT BEFORE DRILLING

Answer 6

Since this is the first time you've had a cavity.......

She did the right thing. Temporary filling. You can't tell how big a cavity is until you see inside the tooth. She didn't do anything wrong.

Answer 7

I would be very wary of finding the right dentist, especially when dealing with those in private practice whose sole motivation is to find as much possibly wrong with your teeth as possible (even if nothing is really wrong) so they can drain your insurance company dry and pad their own wallets. Trust me I have been there and meet these dentists and have had unecessary and unpleasant work done as a result.

Answer 8

Go to a different dentist. Some of that sounds normal, but it sounds like she's unsure of what she is doing. Also, did she say why waiting till another day would be any better? That doesn't sound right. Go somewhere else.

Answer 9

did she pack the filling before the white stuff? it could be that she knows the tooth is on the edge of hitting the nerve and she wants to see how the filling will be??sometimes sensitive?

Answer 10

Kimmey Cakes has got it right.......she's right on. As far as the block, we all miss them once in a while, but I think your gal will learn and the next time will do better.