Questions about the process of filling cavities...?

Question

I have to have a cavity filled tomorrow and I am inevitably not looking forward to it at all, so I have a few questions. The tooth with the cavity does not hurt at all, so does that mean that the cavity is pretty small? Also, granted that the cavity is fairly small, do I have to have Novocaine (which I really don't want!)? Also, about how long will the process take?

Answer 1

I've had a couple of large cavities that caused no pain.  Although I've had a number of small cavities filled, I haven't yet had any filling done without Novocaine.  I once needed a second shot of Novocaine because I could still feel pain from the drill.  I have found that pain is not a very good indicator of cavity depth.  When you do feel pain, it might alraedy be too late to avoid needing a root canal.  I would rather face the dentist and obtain a simple filling now, than a root canal procedure later on.

Will this be your first filling?  I remember having my first cavity filled by my pediatric dentist when I was 19.  He was not gentle at all, and that shot hurt!  Yet I could still feel his drill.  I had only slight tooth discomfort the day before, but the pain from where he gave me that shot kept me awake the night after.  I've had several dentists since then, but all were much less painful when administering Novocaine shots.  Except for that first filling, I have never had any residual discomfort after the Novocaine wore off.

So I think it's a matter of which dentist fills your tooth, and how gentle he/she is.  My current dentist is expensive, but I am too content with the service there to switch.  If your dentist has never filled any cavities for you before, there is no way of determining how painful his/her shots will be until he/she gives you one.

Novocaine shots are not pleasant, but if your dentist is competent, the shot shoult not feel unbearable.  Sometimes I feel some discomfort from the drill when filling deeper cavities, but your dentist can give you a second shot, and that second shot will hurt much less than the first.  If you find that your dentist's shots are unbearably painful, then you need to find another dentist before you have any more cavities filled.

Duration of the process: My first (painful) dentist took under half an hour.  My other dentists took longer, partly because they waited longer for the Novocaine to numb my tooth.  A longer procedure might be more tolerable.  Don't go to an impatient dentist.

Answer 2

please do not let them put a "silver filling'' in.

see for info

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qvNf4NVZ...

If the tooth doesn't hurt, probably a small cavity.

May not need the shot, but if you do they have a topical pain reliever they can put on so you don't feel it.

It should take about 20-30 minutes.

Hope this helps

God bless and good luck

Answer 3

If the cavity is small and on a tooth that has never had a filling on it-sometimes a dentist can you a waterlaser to numb the tooth as well as remove the decay-this means  NO SHOTS ! The size of the decay & how close the decay is to the nerve determines if the tooth bothers you are not....if it is a small filling & you have a good dentist-it should only take 20-30minutes