I need help slowing down tooth decay.?

Question

So about a month or two ago my teeth started getting worse than normal. I maxed out on my dental insurance until December. And I have 3 cavities I can see them on my front teeth. I don't want them to get any bigger at all. And I'm brushing 2-3 times a day. Now I floss as of a couple weeks ago I started too. Also I rinse with some like off brand of mouthwash and my dentist also gave me a prescription for Prevident that I'm not sure if either 1)It just doesn't work or 2) I'm not using it right. I put a strip of it on my tooth brush from the top of it to the bottom of the head and brush for about a minute or two then spit out the rest and I don't eat or rinse for a half an hour. But I do keep spitting after I spit out the extra? Because I know I'm not suppose to swallow it. It's like the more I try the worse they get it seems... I have so many problems with not just my cavities but pretty much my whole mouth. What would happen if I waited 3 months to get it filled? If my front teeth get any worse I'll die and rip them all out and get dentures.. If there's any tip on how much of the Prevident I should use or anything I can do to repair the small cavity please let me know! Thank you.

Answer 1

Insurance does not rule your life.  It sounds like you need to suck it up and pay for these things yourself.  There is no way to stop a cavity from getting bigger once it is through the enamel.  This is because the bacteria that cause the cavity aren't just on the surface they are deep inside the tooth.  Prevident is a toothpaste with extra fluoride in it, that helps to prevent new cavities but won't help with these.  With prevident you should brush it on, spit the extra out, and then leave it for half an hour, you don't need to spit and spit and spit, just until you are comfortable that you don't have gobs of it on your teeth.  Its not going to kill you (it probobly could if you ate alot but then again what couldn't) but you shouldn't swallow tons of it.  Bottom line is that you need to get these fixed or they will get worse, and your only option is to pay out of pocket.  If you think that the extraction and denture route is good you will realise quickly its a horrible idea, they are not comfortable and a set of dentures is $2000 plus every tooth they take out costs $100 to $180 to remove so you will max out your insurance even faster going that route and will have to pay even more out of pocket than you will to just get them fixed and go on with your life

Answer 2

Thumbs up for Tom's answer!

waiting may COST you more in the long run.  ask about payment plans.

--dentist