Do these look like cavities to you?!


Question: Do these look like cavities to you?
They kind of do to me, im somewhat worried.

http://i53.tinypic.com/35c06js.png
http://i54.tinypic.com/2i75qtd.png


I plan on seeing a dentist (again) soon. My last dentist gave me a terrible experience in which I did not trust her, and she gave me a bad vibe and was terribly rude.

The dentist previous to her told me I had 0 cavities (1 year ago) where as 1 year later this new rude dentist told me I had 10 and to fix them 'right away, with her'. She never showed me them on the x-ray.

I think I need a second opinion. And will go in soon, but does this look like one? (To the dentists out there, or those who had them) Or could it just be a darker spot?

(I floss and brush daily.. I do my best to prevent here which is why im a bit taken back, from 0 to 10 cavities in a year????)

Answers:

The pictures are not clear enough to be sure, but I don't see positive evidence of a cavity. Of course, a dental probe and an x-ray would be a lot more revealing than visual inspection from these photographs.

I agree that you need a second opinion. But it should come from another dentist, and you should bring the x-rays with you when you go for that second opinion. If your dentist doesn't want to give you copies of the x-rays, then you are surely being scammed. (In the United States, you are legally entitled to copies of the x-rays, although the dentist can charge a copying fee.)

As to 0 vs 10 cavities, that's a harder call. Different dentists legitimately disagree about what amount of decay is too trivial to treat. Some dentists believe that all cavities should be filled, no matter how small, because tooth decay is progressive. It never gets better on its own, so it is better to have small fillings than big ones. Others dentists will say 0 cavities, but they will really mean "nothing worth bothering about right now." So, you could have had no significant cavities with your previous dentist, but a year later, a new dentist might legitimately think that you have 10 little ones worth filling.

Good luck, and I hope this helps. Get a second dentist to review those x-rays.




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