r/askdentists

22 m

Quit smoking 1 week ago ( out of fear i quit smoking cause my friend got cancer) will never smoke again.

Was wondering if there is something to worry about

Scared as f

Hi so I got a tooth filling a year ago on my teeth which is near the nerve. The dentist said she put a liner and not filling it up fully because she scared it will hurt the nerve and to prevent root canal treatment.

After 6 months i visit another dentist to do regular cleaning and xray. He mentioned if I need to do refilling because there is a gap.

Also now after a year (20/8/2026) I went for another regular cleaning with another dentist and she did xray and mentioned to redo the filling because of the gap and she thinks it’s getting slightly bigger.

To be honest this one year I never feel any pain with the filling just sometime the filling ripped my floss.

I will also post a picture as reference.

first picture is a year ago when I did the filling.

second and third pics is when my second visit to do regular cleaning (6 months after the first one)

I didn’t take any pictures of my xray in my last visit (20/8/2026).

(edit: Will it possible a selective caries removal?)

Cheers.

Hi all! I went to the dentist for the first time in 5-6 years a couple weeks ago. I am a 25 year old female who recently quit vaping (4.5 years of nicotine use) and drinks 1-2 times per week. I also have a history of drug abuse and have been clean for over a year now. I mostly received feedback I was expecting (i.e. early periodontitis, a few cavities, needed a crown). However, the dentist did mention a “suspicious” area on this x-ray. She began by asking if i ever had any trauma to these teeth growing up. I responded that I had not to my knowledge. She said they were going to refer me to an endodontist to make sure this wasn’t anything more than a structural abnormality. I was confused by this and asked for clarification of what it could be. She said it could be an infection or something else. I am just confused as I have no pain or sensitivity near these teeth. I have not heard from the endodontist I was referred to, and am just wondering whether I should call my dentist for an update on this referral.

I have seen a dentist on instagram, says if you poke a file at the mento-labial sulcus. It will transiently cure the patients gag reflex(severe). He said it’s some kind of Chinese remedy 😅. I really wanna know what’s the science behind it is it just a psychological placebo effect.

My partner is experiencing waves of debilitating pain and a chunk of their tooth fell off. Got told a root canal was going to be at least $1000 and at least an 8 month wait. Only was prescribed Motrin. Looking for second opinions, any recommendations for pain relief, and if there’s anything else we can do

Please be mindful first of all.

Depression + neglect from my childhood and my parents has destroyed my teeth. How bad is it? Nothing is visibly mobile and I can still eat fine mostly. No pain really. My hygiene dipped severely but I’m trying to get it up and I have an appointment for this booked.

But I’d love to know what other people can offer - advice or thoughts on whether I’m going to be able to keep these teeth

I know the calculus buildup, recession and root exposure is bad. I want to get my hygiene to top notch going forward. I’m determined to save these teeth if I can.

Also wanted to add, my teeth haven’t shifted majorly at all. They were always crowded like this.

Any dentists welcome!

Lastly, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it please. I’m looking for constructive conversation on this.

Hi, are my implants failing? I have one on the left, fully covered by gum, but the other one isn't.

13 year old female patient presented with intermittent sharp pain in upper left quadrant, slight pain with percussion on upper left 6 and sharp pain with percussion on 7, no mobility observed on all deciduous teeth. What would be the ttt for the deciduous teeth and what could be the cause of the pain in the upper left quadrant.

My mother recently had some dental surgery done to treat chronic periodontitis; this is 6 days post-op.

I took a photo of the surgical site on her palate, and as you can see, a yellowish-white patch is developing right next to the teeth and under the sutures.

Is this normal healing tissue (like fibrin or a slough), or does it look like an infection or something I should contact my dentist about?

Note: She feels like something is "loose" in her mouth

Thank you!

Story time: Three doctors, three opinions, one very confusing day in Egypt.
I usually avoid hospitals and doctors. I’m the kind of person who tries to fix things at home with minimal medication and only goes to a doctor if I absolutely have to.
But after getting hundreds of messages telling me to get this checked, and after family, friends, Reddit, and even some doctor friends kept insisting, I finally decided to go.
Today, I saw three different doctors:
A dentist
A consultant/oral surgeon
An ENT specialist
I also had a panoramic dental X-ray (Panorex) done, and the circular area I was concerned about was visible on the scan.
The first dentist (a younger dentist) was honestly great. He was respectful, cheerful, and straightforward.
He told me that I have a lot of dental work that needs to be done:
Multiple cavities
Two teeth that definitely need root canal treatment
Possibly an infection or abscess
Several teeth that need repair
But he also made it clear that he wasn’t completely sure about the connection between my dental problems and the “mass” or “swelling” in the roof of my mouth. He said the surgeon would evaluate it.
Then I saw the consultant/oral surgeon.
Honestly, this was one of the worst medical experiences I’ve had.
His attitude completely threw me off.
The younger dentist had mentioned a few problematic teeth, but the consultant suddenly started pointing out additional teeth, including upper teeth that hadn’t even been mentioned before. Instead of focusing on the swelling first, his approach was basically:
“Let’s fix all the teeth first, then we’ll see what happens.”
That didn’t make much sense to me.
If the concern is a possible tumor, abscess, growth, or anything unusual, shouldn’t we first determine what it actually is?
Is it an infection?
Is it related to the teeth?
Is it a benign growth?
Is it something involving the palate?
I wasn’t expecting an immediate diagnosis, but I was expecting more investigation.
Maybe I’m wrong, but it felt like the focus shifted very quickly toward fixing every tooth in my mouth.
And for context, I’m in Egypt.
Every tooth has a separate cost.
A filling has a price.
A root canal has a price.
A crown has a price.
Everything is billed separately, so when someone starts listing treatment after treatment without first addressing the main concern, it’s hard not to become skeptical.
For some background, I’m actually a biomedical engineer, and while I’m not a physician, I do have a medical and biological background. I’ve studied medicine-related subjects, biology, and I genuinely enjoy learning about healthcare.
I’m not claiming to know more than doctors, but some of the explanations I received simply didn’t add up.
Even the younger dentist’s facial expressions suggested that he wasn’t completely convinced by what the consultant was saying.
My thinking was:
Why not treat both issues in parallel?
Fix one tooth at a time because that’s what I can currently afford, while simultaneously investigating the swelling.
I wasn’t going to leave the hospital without getting another opinion.
So I went to an ENT specialist, which many people here on Reddit and several of my doctor friends had recommended.
I explained all of my symptoms:
Tonsil pain
Loss of appetite
Feeling feverish at times
Mouth breathing for years
Facial pressure
Nasal issues
General irritation in my mouth and throat
Since I was already there, I decided to ask about every unresolved issue I’d been ignoring for years.
And honestly, that’s on me.
I should have gone to a doctor much sooner.
In the end, I left with three different opinions from three different doctors.
I also left with prescriptions for:
A nasal medication
Antibiotics for my tonsils
And I’m still planning to see another doctor on Sunday, someone who was strongly recommended to me by other physicians.
Until then, I’m going to follow the treatment plan, pay more attention to my diet, and continue investigating this properly.
And yes, I’m still worried.
But I’m trying to stay rational and avoid jumping to conclusions.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who encouraged me to get checked.
Ironically, many of the people here on Reddit were more helpful than some of the doctors I met today.
Thank you, everyone.

I’m getting braces to fix my crowded teeth without getting any molar extractions however before braces my dentist wants to get my wisdom teeth removed just incase they cause trouble while having braces, although I don’t want to because I don’t want to cause any recession what do you guys think?

(❌drink/smoke)

so 2 days ago i noticed that my front bottom teeth were hurting, like aching but honestly i didnt pay any more mind to it than just letting my parents know that they hurt. also important note, i have 2 mouth ulcers, both are located right bottom, one is more up and the other one is down next to my bottom front teeth gums, but they're literally aligned😭 and next day it was beginning to really really hurt and i looked in the mirror and my bottom front teeth gums were red, not bleeding but obviously red because the top were pink so i went to the school nurse and she told me it was normal and that my teeth was hurting because my ulcers did something to the gum i think? and she told me to take bactidol or to use salt water, so i used saltwater for the time being and told my mother to get bactidol and i used it after i ate my lunch and it got better for abit and then i went home, dinner, brushed my teeth and bactidol and repeat for after breakfast and dinner up until now where i dont really know how to explain my situation cause, i mean the hurt is less but i dont know if im paranoid or not but i honestly feel like their gonna fall off and like i mean its not visible wobbly but i dont know if what im doing is right or if gurgling bactidol has its side effects😞 pls tell me if its this is normal or i should be doing something else or should i stop, and im sorry if this was a stupid question but ive never experienced teeth pain like this where it feels like their sensitive ☹️

Got this root canal yesterday but I feel like the root on the left is short, initially both were short and he re-did the right one but he said on the apex locator the left root read 0 and suggested it might be a lateral exit? so I’m not sure. This tooth has been such a pain for a while and I’m not willing to risk it going bad again. Do I wait and see or re-treat?

I (25F) got a root canal when I was young years ago and at the time the dentist said that I was too young for a crown so they put this filler stuff over it and that was it. I didn’t think about it because I was young when it happened and I had braces and no one ever mentioned anything to me about it. A few years ago the filler started to break to the point of the little bit of tooth becoming exposed. I saw a dentist and they said that it needed to be extracted because there wasn’t enough integrity to put a crown on it. Insurance would cover the extraction but not an implant and the implant was too expensive for me to afford so I didn’t go back. I went back a year later because it was bothering me and he shaved down the part that was bothering me and told me I needed to get it removed. A while later I went to a different dentist because it got worse and I was concerned and he said it was fine.
Today, I was chewing gum and the entire filling part with a screw came out so now the “tooth” is completely exposed. I called a dentist for an appointment and was told it’s not emergent so I would have to wait a month for an appointment. I found another dentist and have an appointment tomorrow at 2 but my question is, what can I do to keep it clean since I don’t want an infection. I haven’t eaten or drank because I’m scared of messing with anything. Also, how should I brush my teeth tonight and tomorrow morning? Just avoid it? Thank you in advance.