going to the dentist....
Posted by cashafrass on Jun 26, 2007 · Member since Apr 2007 · 92 posts
I am going to the dentist next week. tonight when i was brushing i noticed something on a molar and i think it might be a cavity. This would be my first one :( does anyone know what they put in fillings these days and are there any alternatives?
My dentist doesn't use a drill, and no drill means no injections. When he told me that he doesn't do injections I actually told him I loved him. The drill cleans all the gunk out of the hole by drilling it away. The alternative method is similar to air blasting. High pressure air is used to clean the gunk out and then the dentist fills the hole in. It doesn't hurt at all! It's just a little cold.
See if there's a dentist near you that uses air instead of a drill. I live in Wellington, New Zealand - not exactly a sprawling metropolis - so I'd say your chances are good.
I just had my first cavity a few months ago. I am the biggest baby when it comes to needles or anything medical. I was so anxious about the procedure they said they would give me nirtous (laughing gas). Honestly, it was not bad at all. My dentist does do injections and used a drill but I did not feel a thing. He put a numbing gel on first. I'm not sure what is used to fill the cavity, but what my dentist used matches my teeth, so you can't even tell I had a cavity.
this page has a really nice list and pictures of different kinds of fillings:
http://www.ada.org/public/topics/fillings.asp
why do you want an alternative to a filling? if there is a hole, you'll probably want it filling with something... or its gonna be a much bigger problem later. or is it the alternative to mercury in a 'silver' filling that you want? if thats the case, you could probably have a composite filling- they are made from glass/quartz in a resin base- you could even get a white one, and nobody would know it was there!
talk to your dentist about your options.... and don't panic yet, you don't know that you do actually need a filling.
I don't recommend ceramic/resin dental replacements of any kind, at least on your rear teeth... I had a molar replaced by a huge crown and it shattered. When they replaced it, it broke again. Was more expensive than the gold crown I now wear, too.
I'm not too worried about getting fillings I just don't like the idea of having heavy metals and other unsavory things in my mouth! that's why i wondered what is used, and if there are different kinds, etc.
Resins are the way to go, if you ask me. Amalgam fillings can and do leach mercury into your gums. I had a lot of fillings in my baby teeth and I have several mercury spots on my gums. Last year when I had work done I insisted on resins and I have a pretty composite crown on a molar too. I am just happier with them. To my way of thinking, they are more painful to have put in than amalgam fillings but much less painful afterwards. My amalgam fillings always made the teeth very sensitive afterwards. These don't do that in the least.