I visited a dentist recently and after taking x-rays, he recommend a crown, an onlay, and a filling.?

Question

I am very conservative when it comes to treatments. I said I will make an appointment for the treatment. How do I know if this is really required? Should I take a second opinion? Is there a possibility that teeth can be restored with regular cleaning instead of getting crowns and onlays?

Answer 1

if you have doubt, always take a second opinion.

Answer 2

Teeth cannot be restored with a cleaning.  Cleanings only scrape away calculus, tartar, and plaque.  Once a tooth is damaged it dosen't heal itself.  

Answer 3

If your teeth have decay in them, then you need the dentist to drill them out and then they will need to be covered.  If the decay in a tooth is widespread enough so the dentist has to drill out a lot of tooth, you'll need a crown to cover the excavation--and that usually will take 2 weeks to make.  The dentist will drill out the bad stuff, swab it with antibacterial stuff (tastes bad but tolerable), take a mold of your teeth so the crown-makers can make a crown fit to you (about 2 weeks wait during which time you'll wear a temporary crown--not durable and you have to watch what you bit on).  Once the crown comes in, the dentist just cleans up your tooth (gets out the glue and whatnot from the temporary crown),  makes sure the new crown fits well (don't interfere with your normal bit, isn't too loose or too tight, etc.), will "sand" down any sharp points or whatever to make it fit the best it can, then will glue it into place and you're done with that.  Depending on what material you have your crown made from, they usually will last about 10 years (but if you eat a lot of sticky stuff, you may need to get it reglued periodically).  Inlays are just regular fillings to fill in shallow decay that's been removed.  Again, if you've got decay, it means the bacteria has eaten through your enamel (the hard stuff that protects your teeth) and will continue to eat at the soft inner parts of the tooth, eventually hitting a nerve (toothache) and if left untreated may get into your blood stream (septic) and/or into your sinus cavities.  And your brain is right close to your mouth so it's a fast trip to go into your brain.  Regular cleaning won't restore the enamel; regular thorough cleaning and flossing will help to lessen bacteria (plaque and all that stuff) from eating through your enamel to begin with, thus saving you all that trouble.