black spots .......any dentist?

Question

I had little black spots on my molars,they have been there since i was 6 or less. I'm 18 now.....I used to have a dentist phobia when I was litle.....so i never went to a dentist before last month.
I finally decided to go to the dentist, he said that I have 8 cavities and they all need filling. I was very suspecious, so I thought I'd get a second opinion. I went to another one, she said I only have three. So I was a bit confused, I thought I would get a third opinion, the third dentist said they're just small caries that won't grow up and there is no need for filling...........I felt happy when I heard that. But now I'm kinda scared it's really cavity and they're growing up inside where i can't see. What should I do?
this is a pic of how they look http://www.flickr.com/photos/23156252@N00/424367805/ they're not my teeth but I took that pic and painted it and made it look like my teeth.I've had those spots since ever. they never grew bigger

Answer 1

If you go to 10 different dentists to look at your teeth, you are going to get 10 different opinions. Many newer dentists are into preventive dentistry, which means that maybe you do have 8 cavities, but they are very small and can be filled to prevent them from getting big. Older dentists tend to "watch" teeth that look suspicious. In my opinion, they are "watching" them get bigger. Find a dentist you have trust in and have them do the work. Going to 3 different dentists is only confusing you and in the end you're not getting the work done. You're young & I recommend that you go get all 8 teeth filled.

Answer 2

Hey, I had a similar thing in several of my teeth and my dentist used something called "diagnodent" on them, it's this special machine that they hold over the tooth and it gives them a reading of the tooth and tells them how big the cavity is. Sorry, I don't know exactly how it works, but you get a number and depending how big the number is, it tells you how big the cavity is, and based on that the dentist decided which teeth needed fillings and which ones he could leave just now. But he's going to check the ones he left every 6 months to make sure they're not getting any bigger.

All I'd say is that on my teeth what looked like just little black spots, when the dentist started drilling them, turned out to have cavities inside the tooth. Personally, I'd advise you go with the first dentist and get the fillings done while they are very small cavities - you could probably even get them done without injections while they are so small, and then you won't have to worry about them growing bigger.

Answer 3

According to the picture I see which is very good (Much better than my english) you have the very very early stages of carries. that means some amound of enamel (the outer and harder part if the tooth) is decomposed. Probably at this stage you dont have any symptoms, it does not hurt. Correct?
2. it would be very interesting in order to evaluate how deep that carries goes the color of the tooth around these "dak spots" is it the color of normal tooth or is it darker, a bit more blue ,a bit more pink?
3. it would be very interesting to see the mouth and evaluate if I have to do with a clean mouth (no deposits no stains good brushing) or not
So you understand that is very difficult to give a serious answer to your question. many times the dentist projects his hers personality to the treatment especially when you can see a case by both sides. the dentist who said you need many fillings is probably more aggresive and probably the last one more cosservative. If you decide to follow the last one I would suggest to reevaluate your case in 6 months to 1 year period.
But please dont be affraid of dentists We are good people

Answer 4

I am not a dentist but when it comes to small cavities I think dentists sometimes play it by ear. If you've had these for a while and they haven't changed in appearance much then they could be many things, shadows, natural deep fissures etc. Usually if a dentist is not sure you could ask for x-rays.
You could also ask for sealants, a painless procedure which helps protect deep crevices in the teeth. Not all suspicious looking areas are decay!

Answer 5

I suggest you to have a panoramic xray taken.Just to see if it's a cavity or not.If it is really small,then it would show very little or none at all.then the dentist could assess it from there.Sometimes,clinically,around the black spot,there's white around it,meaning the tooth is demineralizing(which is not good)-at this point,when the dentist placed a rotary instrument on it,it will just "swoosh"-drop,meaning there's a hole already inside--in that case,should be filled.It doesn't mean that because you don't feel anything,there's nothing on it.Even if its black spot or line, a preventive measure to avoid it from developing to a more serious one is to place sealants on it .Hope this helps.