Foo - tooth question

I can see in the mirror on my bottom tooth the cavity, easily a little transluscent line. I'm super phobic they will have to rip out my tooth, even though at most i would think only a root canal. What is the criteria where they would have to remove a tooth?

If you have a cavity that you can see in the mirror, um...well, at least a root canal is in order. When do they pull a tooth? I dunno.

Pulling the tooth would be less painful. Physically and financially.

Pulling the tooth would be less painful. Physically and financially.

i like my teeth. Last time i saw a tooth got pulled, cuz it was rotten, my bros tooth was brown.

i know i at least have a filling in order, i have those all the time.

Here ya go, Jon. Least expensive way to take care of that sucker.

Jon's Dental answer

You want me to look like a hillbilly? :madness:

Just ignore it until it hurts. Then you'll find out! Naw-get to the dentist!

Just ignore it until it hurts. Then you'll find out! Naw-get to the dentist!

Seriously though. If you wait until you can no longer wait...then all hope is lost. My sister had a cavity that she claims didn't hurt. Then one day she was eating something and the tooth shattered in her mouth. I think that hurts a hell of a lot more than having it pulled. I will say, though, that having teeth pulled is a bit barbaric. Doc yanked one of my wisdom's out....

Not a good idea to pull a tooth however, as you'll end up losing its top matching tooth as well.


Just ignore it until it hurts. Then you'll find out! Naw-get to the dentist!The sad part is a lot of dental-insurance won't cover a procedure until it gets that bad. Otherwise, it's not considered an "essential" but "cosmetic" procedure.

Not a good idea to pull a tooth however, as you'll end up losing its top matching tooth as well.

well, they can put an implant in place of the tooth pulled. They are usually screwed into the jaw bone and also help prevent bone loss of the mandible which occurs with a pulled tooth. but again, your talking $

If you have a cavity that you can see in the mirror, um...well, at least a root canal is in order. When do they pull a tooth? I dunno.

When the tooth goes bad from the jawbone down - like if there was an accident and there was damage done high up to the root.

There is nothing to be gained by waiting. It's not gonna get better by itself.

do everything you can to save the tooth ! if that means root canal, then do it.


the other adjacent teeth depend on that tooth being there for their own health,
so...by all means make sure (if it is needed) it is root canaled, then titanium posted 3
weeks later. done and done.

or maybe you just need it ground down and capped. anything is better than having it yanked.

Wow. A lot of dentally uneducated people posting things in this thread. Hold on, take a deep breath.

First, you may not even have a cavity. All posterior teeth have staining in their occlusal grooves and fossae. Just because you see discoloration, doesn't mean you have to worry. Get to a dentist and have them check it out pronto! The longer you wait, the worse it could get if it is a cavity.

If you have a cavity: Do you feel any sensitivity? If you only see it and can't feel it, that's good. That means it hasn't gotten too deep and can likely be filled, or crowned. You would likely only need a root canal if the cavity get into the pulp chamber where the nerve is, and you'd be in pain if that were the case. They'd only pull the tooth if it were beyond repair or if an abcess had gotten so bad to require it. You'd know. you'd be in serious pain.

If, God forbid, you need an endo (root canal), that's not that big a deal. at least you get to keep your tooth. An 'endo'd' tooth can last for a very long time without requiring extraction.

If you ever do have a tooth pulled, you DO NOT need the opposing tooth pulled. :rolleyes: Good grief. If you leave the space empty, the opposing tooth will try to fill that space, and the neighboring teeth will shift, but you don't have to rip them out. Simply have an implant placed, or have a bridge done. That will keep everything in place.

Wow. A lot of dentally uneducated people posting things in this thread. Hold on, take a deep breath.

First, you may not even have a cavity. All posterior teeth have staining in their occlusal grooves and fossae. Just because you see discoloration, doesn't mean you have to worry. Get to a dentist and have them check it out pronto! The longer you wait, the worse it could get if it is a cavity.

If you have a cavity: Do you feel any sensitivity? If you only see it and can't feel it, that's good. That means it hasn't gotten too deep and can likely be filled, or crowned. You would likely only need a root canal if the cavity get into the pulp chamber where the nerve is, and you'd be in pain if that were the case. They'd only pull the tooth if it were beyond repair or if an abcess had gotten so bad to require it. You'd know. you'd be in serious pain.

If, God forbid, you need an endo (root canal), that's not that big a deal. at least you get to keep your tooth. An 'endo'd' tooth can last for a very long time without requiring extraction.

If you ever do have a tooth pulled, you DO NOT need the opposing tooth pulled. :rolleyes: Good grief. If you leave the space empty, the opposing tooth will try to fill that space, and the neighboring teeth will shift, but you don't have to rip them out. Simply have an implant placed, or have a bridge done. That will keep everything in place.



Sounds like this is at least a well informed answer.


Having had several root canal(s), I would say that the worst part of that procedure....and there is no guarantee you need a root canal....is the price tag, which at my dentist....and this may differ in your area......is around 2k, and only partially covered by my insurance. Otherwise just a long day.

Additionally, common sense just reinforces what 'sneefy' says.....'the longer you wait the worse it could get.......'. Make an appointment with a dentist.

Pulling the tooth would be less painful. Physically and financially.

Incorrect

Jon,
You will most likely end up with a plastic filling.

It just sounds to me like you MAY need a filling. See a dentist. There is "Much ado about nothing" going on in this thread.

The one thing will add is under NO circumstances let anyone put a metal filling in your mouth. Even if you have them already accept NO more.

Anthony

Are the toxic compounds used to install the filling? Or are they always present and you're getting poisoned continuously when you've got the metal fillings?

Are the toxic compounds used to install the filling? Or are they always present and you're getting poisoned continuously when you've got the metal fillings?

The fear of amalgam fillings is that there is mercury used in it.
I don't buy that it leaches out, but it is a religious argument to those who don't trust it.

Pheard, did your tooth find its way to the dentist yet?

Are the toxic compounds used to install the filling? Or are they always present and you're getting poisoned continuously when you've got the metal fillings?


The fear of amalgam fillings is that there is mercury used in it.
I don't buy that it leaches out, but it is a religious argument to those who don't trust it.

There is clear scientific evidence that mercury escapes in the form of vapor from dental amalgams. No one is challenging this. What they do try to claim is that the amount that escapes doesn't cause any harm.

I strongly disagree. I've been poisoned to Hell by mercury and I've been slowly getting better since having it removed 7 years ago but its a hard struggle to completely rid your body of mercury. I believe that I have been more adversely affected by mercury than most because of magnesium deficiency but then again, I see people suffering from various health complaints that all look like low level poisoning to me who DO have mercury in their mouths but since they believe the propaganda that dental amalgams aren't dangerous they haven't put it together.

Anthony

See.



No fight here Anthony.
Composites are cool.
I like gold

Pheard, did your tooth find its way to the dentist yet?

Getting one in like 10 days.

The other type of filling costs more. So why would a dentist even bother with the metal type?

Before amalgams (metal fillings) there was gold and porcelain inlays. Amalgams were quicker, easier, and less expensive. Then came composites a long time later. It took ten years before composites were really perfected (earlier ones were weak or would cure unevenly compared to todays and still weak compared to amalgams).

Amalgams have been around for a very long time, and can last for a lifetime.
Personally I think the chlorine in drinking water is a hell of a lot more dangerous.

Before amalgams (metal fillings) there was gold and porcelain inlays. Amalgams were quicker, easier, and less expensive. Then came composites a long time later. It took ten years before composites were really perfected (earlier ones were weak or would cure unevenly compared to todays and still weak compared to amalgams).

Amalgams have been around for a very long time, and can last for a lifetime.
Personally I think the chlorine in drinking water is a hell of a lot more dangerous.

AllenG is correct that Composites have come a long way and amalgams are cheap and easy. If properly etched and cured, flowable composites are strong and long-lasting. The biggest push for composites is the aesthetic value, of course.

Personally I would never have an amalgam filling done. They have been shown to lower white blood cell counts, for one thing.

High-noble gold is still the best material. An Austrian MDT told me once that dentists used to pack gold leaf. No adhesive, perfect seal, and they would last a lifetime. Nobody does that anymore.

One of my three fillings is gold. My grandfather was also a dentist. My father showed me how they were made using his father's old dies and equipment. That filling has been stable for over thirty years now (the other two have been no trouble too actually, one amalgam, one small composite facing).

One of my three fillings is gold. My grandfather was also a dentist. My father showed me how they were made using his father's old dies and equipment. That filling has been stable for over thirty years now (the other two have been no trouble too actually, one amalgam, one small composite facing).

If I ever need a crown from the 2nd bicuspid back, it will be gold.

I'll bet the old equipment was really cool to see.

I worked for several years as a dental technician. I made a number of gold crowns in that time. Though, I specialized in anterior to full mouth rehabilitative and cosmetic diagnostic waxing. I also worked with implants, made custom abutments, temporaries, pressed porcelain, and CAD/CAM zirconium crowns and frameworks.

had all my mercury amalgams removed (10) and replaced with epoxies and laser cured

went from having 4 or 5 colds a year, to one every 3 years

coincidence ? I think not.


dental insurance only covered the cost of mercury filling, I had to pay the difference above
and beyond to get the epoxies. now if anything leaches into my system it sure as heck isn't
mercury. and I feel loads better.

If I ever need a crown from the 2nd bicuspid back, it will be gold.

I'll bet the old equipment was really cool to see.

I worked for several years as a dental technician. I made a number of gold crowns in that time. Though, I specialized in anterior to full mouth rehabilitative and cosmetic diagnostic waxing. I also worked with implants, made custom abutments, temporaries, pressed porcelain, and CAD/CAM zirconium crowns and frameworks.

The new thing that has come out is CNC acrylic inlays and crowns. Pop has a small milling machine in which he inserts a blank. He then preps your tooth as usual, but instead of taking an impression, fitting you with a temp, and waiting on the lab, he photographs your tooth with an endoscope camera. The CNC machine then carves you a permanent fixture right there. No second visit. Pop prefers the fixtures from the lab though. The lab guys hate the CNC machines coming about.

My grandfather's equipment was really interesting.
There is a metal plate about the size of a brick with molds of the morphology of all the teeth in rows across the top.
Along with that there is a metal spring wound centrifuge crucible. You would take a wax impression of the prepped tooth, and use that and plaster to make a lost wax mold in the crucible. You would pour a small amount of molten gold into the crucible and the centrifuge would spin, forcing the gold into the plaster mold. I don't remember how the metal plate was used to transfer the morphology of the top of the tooth to the inlay without destroying the edge tolerances. But as I remember it was something along the lines of simply putting the inlay over the correct tooth mold and smacking it with a jeweler's hammer.

Question for Jon......Are you English?:innocent::D

Question for Jon......Are you English?:innocent::D

I think they still use hammers.

The new thing that has come out is CNC acrylic inlays and crowns. Pop has a small milling machine in which he inserts a blank. He then preps your tooth as usual, but instead of taking an impression, fitting you with a temp, and waiting on the lab, he photographs your tooth with an endoscope camera. The CNC machine then carves you a permanent fixture right there. No second visit. Pop prefers the fixtures from the lab though. The lab guys hate the CNC machines coming about.

My grandfather's equipment was really interesting.
There is a metal plate about the size of a brick with molds of the morphology of all the teeth in rows across the top.
Along with that there is a metal spring wound centrifuge crucible. You would take a wax impression of the prepped tooth, and use that and plaster to make a lost wax mold in the crucible. You would pour a small amount of molten gold into the crucible and the centrifuge would spin, forcing the gold into the plaster mold. I don't remember how the metal plate was used to transfer the morphology of the top of the tooth to the inlay without destroying the edge tolerances. But as I remember it was something along the lines of simply putting the inlay over the correct tooth mold and smacking it with a jeweler's hammer.

The CNC machine you describe is a Cerec In-Lab by Sirona. They do a passable job. Only passable. Patients love it because it's a one-visit crown. Digital impressions are pretty exciting, tho.
The move to CNC is one of the reasons I got out of the lab business. It's just beginning now, but it won't be long before they really take a chunk of business from the labs. Plus, experiments have been done to re-grow teeth. Actually placing lab-grown tooth buds in the jaw and letting them grow new teeth. Crazy stuff.

I drop waxed and carved all my morphology by hand. Every groove and fossa. Using molds of occulsion is for lazy or un-skilled technicians. If a lab does that to speed production, find a different lab. I was absolutely anal about properly sealing the margins under magnification as well. I would have just used the metal plate mold you described to study occlusion.

The casting machine you described is a basic centrifugal caster that is in use everywhere. Sure, there are much more advanced vacuum-casting machines, but the one you described is very commonly in use. I have waxed and cast many crowns and frameworks. I would wax the crown on the model, sprue it, invest it, burn out the wax, wind the casting machine, set the ring, use a propane/oxygen torch to melt the metal and keep the ring hot, and release it and watch it spin molten metal into the ring. It's actually kind of fun if you like playing with fire. You then break the crown out of the ring and finish it.

Pop is know for carving his morphology, both amalgam (http://www.ophsource.org/periodicals/ophtha/article/abstracts?terms1=&terms2=&terms3=&terms4=) and composite (can't find the composite info ATM).
He takes a lot of pride in it.
This (http://www.sabradent.com/products/sabra-105-fo.html) is one of his doing as well. He took the bend out of the standard handpiece and re-angled the head.

Question for Jon......Are you English?:innocent::D

Part of me is. Not the teeth part.