Re: Dentist wants to replace all my fillings (follow-up #2)

I suggest you get an NTI right away, Then,,,,,, have an orthodontic band
placed around the suspect teeth and see what happens. If the pain stops,
you know a crown will solve your problems. A temporary filling (ZOE) will
not help.


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~+--~+--~+--~+--~+--
Stephen [What's a Temporary?], D.D.S.
Michigan, USA
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This posting is intended for informational or conversational purposes only.
Always seek the opinion of a licensed dental professional before acting on
the advice or opinion expressed here. Only a dentist who has examined you
in person can diagnose your problems and make decisions which will affect
your health.
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<harry_lewis@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1121278807.588977.114790@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Well, I finally got to see the endodontist about two weeks ago. I
> meant to reply sooner but just kept putting it off.
>
> The endodontist doesn't think I need a root canal. Which was good
> news. But the tooth is still bothering me, so the situation is still
> unresolved. I suspect that there is some decay under the filling, and
> would like to have it replaced. If that is successful, then I will
> have a full crown (preferably CEREC) put on the tooth. If it's not
> successful, then RCT followed by a crown.
>
> The tooth that is bothering me is a molar (#30). That tooth and #19
> have a vertical fracture line on the buccal surface. The cracks
> probably don't go very far in, as the endodontist ruled out cracked
> tooth syndrome. To reinforce those teeth and help prevent the cracks
> from worsening, I want to have both teeth crowned. But I am concerned
> that #30 is still bothering me a little, and feel that it may be
> getting close to needing RCT. If RCT is needed, I'd prefer that it be
> done before the tooth is crowned. But I'd also like to avoid RCT, if
> possible. So my idea is to have the fillings in both teeth (or maybe
> just #30) replaced, and the cracks sealed. Then wait a month or two to
> see if the tooth stabilizes and improves. If it does, then have #19
> and #30 crowned. If not, then RCT for #30 followed by crowns for both
> #19 and #30.
>
> Does my strategy seem reasonable? And is there an alternate
> restoration for #30 that I should be considering instead of filling
> replacement? The reason I ask is that I've run across the term
> "temporary restoration" when reading old posts on sci.med.dentistry,
> and I don't know what that is referring to. One post mentioned
> something about using zinc oxide and eugenol. I can't imagine how
> something like that would be very durable, but I can see how it would
> be very soothing to the nerve.
>
> Oh, and the endodontist did have one suggestion (though it wasn't
> really his idea). I mentioned to him that at least one dentist
> recommended that I wear a splint to stop me from grinding my teeth
> while sleeping. He said he thought that it's a good idea because
> clenching could be a large part of my problem. So I also need to find
> a good local dentist who is experienced with fitting patients with the
> NTI.
>
> Harry
>
>
>
> W_B wrote:
>> Good report Harry.
>>
>> Sounds like you found one of us good guys.
>>
>> Let us know what the endodontist says.
>>
>> On 2 Jun 2005 14:56:23 -0700, harry_lewis@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
>>
>> >Well, I got that second opinion that several people on here
>> >recommended...
>> >
>> >I just got back from seeing Dr. X. He's a dentist that several of my
>> >neighbors use, and they really like him. So I figured I'd give him a
>> >try. He seems like a nice, quiet, soft-spoken guy.
>> >
>> >Regarding that tooth (#30) that's bothering me, he said that I should
>> >see an endodontist and have the tooth tested so we can figure out if a
>> >root canal is needed. I am going to have the endodontist test the
>> >corresponding molar (#19) on the left side while I am there. And maybe
>> >also a third tooth that has a suspicious radioleucency on the x-ray.
>> >Since the tooth is asymptomatic, I think I'll let the endodontist look
>> >at the x-rays and see if he thinks it really needs testing.
>> >
>> >I also asked him a few questions while I was in there having that
>> >problem tooth checked out. He doesn't think fixing my overbite will
>> >necessarily reduce the trauma to my teeth. He said that he has seen
>> >cases where teeth grinding got worse after orthodontics. He also
>> >doesn't agree that all of my amalgam fillings should be immediately
>> >replaced. And I specifically asked him about the back molar on the
>> >lower right side that doesn't even have a filling in it. That's one of
>> >the teeth that my other dentist wants to put a full crown on. Dr. X
>> >said that he could see why someone might recommend a crown-- there are
>> >some wear facets where the tooth has been worn down to dentin, and some
>> >other issues. But it's not something he would have recommended. He
>> >even said, "I wouldn't want it in my mouth."
>> >
>> >Dr. X said that one can certainly fix things to "a level of
>> >perfection," but that's not the way he does things. I have a good
>> >feeling about this new (to me) dentist. Compared to the other dentist,
>> >his approach is much closer to what one might call "minimally-invasive
>> >dentistry."
>> >
>> >
>> >Harry
>


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