Hi! i recently got told i have a shit ton of cavities, like A LOT, an absurd amount. i do snack a lot on sweets and had other problems that probably contributed to this, but still it was shocking.

i’ve started brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, flossing once a day, and swishing my mouth with water after everything i eat.

i don’t know if ill be able to get them filled soon, as i have very little money saved, but that is on my agenda.

anyway, i enjoy eating out, since im not too good of a cook. i like subway, qdoba, and other fast food restaurants like that. obviously i should avoid desserts and stuff, but what would i be able to eat today without making the decay worse? i want to look after my teeth, but still enjoy my life and not obsess over it.

any help is appreciated!

Seeking a second opinion, they are causing me no pain 19F

Hello, has anyone had an upper impacted wisdom tooth extracted after their 40's? I'm 48M and terrified it will affect my sinuses. Any good stories would sure help put my mind at ease.

I have a problem and it has occurred throughout my life over the past ~20 years at many different dentists.

It is clearly a me problem and not a them problem. For treatments like fillings and root canals I can never get fully numb. 

I am not lying or trying to make anyone's life or job more difficult. I can feel pain. It's almost the exact same pain as when a nerve has died and you need a root canal.

I have told dentists this in the past and they either do not believe me and say its impossible as they've already done such and such block or that they are almost done and I just need to push through.

I try to push through. Believe I am not one to speak up.  I take it as long as I can until I feel on the verge of blacking out or crying. Even when I get my monthly pedicure my foot will be rubbed raw and she will ask why I didn't say something.  I truly hate bothering people especially when they do not believe me.

​I know this can happen with infected teeth but it has also happened to me on fillings both large and small in all 4 mouth corners. 

I also do not have red hair but much of my family does. I do suffer from severe anxiety and panic disorder but premedicate with a double dose of my benzo (with doctor's okay) as well as a beta blocker. I know it may help if I was able to relax and have less adrenaline but I am simply not able to. 

Is there anything specific I should tell the dentist in advance? Is there anything that be done for me besides paying thousands for IV sedation each time?

Thank you for your time.

For context I have one impacted wisdom tooth on the right side and I was advised to take it out about six months ago..

ive been in a lot of pain over the last few weeks and its been impossible to brush my teeth on the right side too because it just bleeds too much.. it looks like my wisdom tooth is emerging somehow? but now the gum around it looks weird i don't know if just getting a cleaning will fix this or if its finally time for me to somehow get my wisdom tooth removed.

I’m looking for advice from dentists because I don’t know what my options are anymore.

Timeline

July 9,2026
A root canal was started.
I underwent multiple root canal appointments, but the pain never resolved.

July 21, 2026
During my third root canal session, let’s call him Dr. Two, took another X-ray because I was still in pain.
He told me that my canals were “deviated,” that the case was honestly too complicated for him to handle, and recommended extraction with an implant instead.
I had already paid a $500 down payment toward treatment.
The implant treatment would cost me around US$3,000, which is simply a very very significant financial burden for me.

July 22, 2026
Before agreeing to extract the tooth, I sought a second opinion with Dr. Three.
He took new X-rays and examined the tooth.
He found that there is a separated canal file lodged inside the canal (I forgot what exactly he called it).
According to Dr. Three, the separated instrument prevented the canal from being completely cleaned.
He attempted to see if the tooth could still be saved but ultimately concluded that it can no longer be salvaged and now also recommends extraction.

What concerns me
I understand that instruments can sometimes separate during root canal treatment, and I’m not saying that alone is malpractice.
What concerns me is that:
- I was never told an instrument had separated.
- I was never informed that this complication had occurred.
- I was told instead that my canals were “deviated.”
- I was never referred to an endodontist after the complication.
- I only learned about the separated instrument after seeking a second opinion because I wanted to avoid extraction.

My questions

1. Is it standard practice to disclose a separated instrument to the patient?
2. If an instrument separates and prevents proper cleaning of the canal, should the patient typically be referred to an endodontist?
3. If you were in my position, how would you handle this with the original dentist? Would you request a refund of the treatment fees or pursue another course of action?

I’m attaching:
The original X-rays.
The X-ray taken when extraction was first recommended.
The X-rays from today’s second opinion.

So I am so tired of playing ping pong with my dentist and their referred endo. I have quite a few teeth that need work, and one that I know needs extracted. The endo told me a 2nd one which has a tool in it is another one I may look at getting extracted. This was a few years ago. I went back to normal dental for cleaning and they scheduled a new crown so that root could be cleaned and left behind tool could be extracted. I went ahead with theto be to be ,,,the left-behind,, proce, ?and,, re as I thought they were in communication with the endo. I paid for the crown, then went to the endo to get cleaned out. The endo told me that she can not guarantee that she can get to the infection or the tool totally out as the tool has broken. She said I would do better with an extraction on this tooth as well because she can not guarantee that I won't have more problems 6 months down the road. Why on Earth did they take off my older crown? Should I ask for my money back as this was the 2nd time the endo had seen me with suggestions. I would think they would communicate but I keep getting sent back n forth. I am not wearing a temp, but I guess I need an extraction. I almost cried when the endo said she had no idea that my dentist was going to do that. Is this a lack of knowledge on my part? Should I ask for my money back on the crown? The endo was very sorry and said that I probably need to get the permanent crown back on since I will have to wait a bit for the extraction. Thank you for any input. Oh and just to let you know, I am no pain. The tooth is showing infection below the tool and close to the nerve?bone. toothnerve/bone, in

I had old veneers removed, crown lengthening with laser, and new veneers seated at the end of January. My gums were always inflamed from my previous veneers. My dentist who placed the new veneers said it was because there was lots of cement caked under my gums. After the initial crown lengthening and temps placed, my gums remained very inflamed. At my appointment to get my veneers seated, he said that we should have addressed this before seating the veneers but then said it was fine because he has a different type of laser now that allows the gums to heal much quicker. So he did more lasering around my gum line then seated my veneers. Since then I have had pretty bad sensitivity to cold on all my teeth with veneers — even the ones that had no crown lengthening and no previous veneers. After months of being told to just use sensodyne, I was just told that I need bone sounding and a wash out to clean up any clean under the gums. I don’t really understand what might be going on causing the sensitivity and inflamed gums besides excess cement. He said my roots look good so he “knows it’s the tooth.” I don’t understand what’s going on in layman’s terms. Any explanation or speculation as to what’s happening would be very appreciated.

I had my back lower right molar extracted about 10 days ago. This morning I noticed 2 red/white bubbles near the extraction site. They are painless for the most part which is why I am not sure. The tooth was pulled by an ER dentist and I have a follow up with my regular dentist on Monday. Can this wait until then or do I need to have this looked at now?

It’s been about 3 days with this, it is swollen and painful to the touch. Will it heal itself? Thanks

My son (6 years old) has a growth on the back of his palate. I took him to see an oral surgeon - they have no idea what it is. All they can do is excise and biopsy.

They want to put him under general anesthesia for the procedure which isnt covered by insurance (about 2k).

Has anyone seen anything like this before? He's an otherwise healthy child. He does have decay (silver diamine floride treatment) on his front teeth but thats it. None of my younger children have it either.

I (F 23) got at 4 wisdom teeth removed June 23. Healing was fine, ate solid food after a week check up. Doctor said I was good to go.

All good and happy. Woke up today and yesterday to some annoying soreness and pain (5/6 out of 10 pain level) in my upper left extraction area.

I’m taking 1-2 100mg ibuprofen to dull the pain, but I can’t sleep comfortable with this constant pain.

- Difficult to open mouth wide
- Cheek is swollen a bit, heated to the touch
- Constant pressure and pain
- Chewing on that side is a bit painful
- Stretching jaw side to side hurts (Feels like its pulling on tight skin?) This is new, stretch my jaw was fine didn’t hurt before.

Is this normal? I think I’ll give it another day before I call the office.

Hy guys
Greetings from Croatia
Is this mandibular tori?
I was as dentist last friday and she fixed my second tooth down
I forgot to ask her, its firm like a bone, one side slight bigger.
Thanks :)

My daughter is 6 and has a dental abscess from a cavity. We were just at the dentist in April and she goes regularly. She just had X-rays done and aside from that abscess (on abx), she has 3 other small cavities. I feel like the most awful parent in the world but also blindsided because I’m very adamant about my daughter’s oral health. She brushes 2 times a day with a fluoridated toothpaste and flosses. Dentist says her molar contacts are very tight putting her at high risk for cavities. Next week is extraction apt for the one tooth (upper right molar). He says he will probably fill the other small cavities since she won’t lose those for quite a while.
I’ve discussed this with my daughter and ensured her that I and my husband will be right there with her and she will be able to watch a movie on the tv that is right above her and the appointment should only take about 15 minutes so it will be very quick.
I just feel defeated because as a parent I thought I was doing everything I was supposed to.
Looking for reassurance I guess. Is this common in kids? It’s it common even kids who brushy their teeth?

My mouth has been burning for over a month now, mostly my tongue. My mouth gets irritated when eating spicy, sour, and when I drink something carbonated. I also have a sore throat that isn’t going away? There is also a bunch of red dots all over my tongue. Im thinking have some kind of infection.

I recently saw two different dentists, and they gave me different opinions about my wisdom teeth.

The first dentist said that there isn’t enough space, and they will push the other teeth. They can cause cavities at the base of the tooth in front of them. It is recommended that they be removed. He would even say it’s mandatory.

The second one said the upper wisdom teeth are the problematic ones. The lower ones are in a better position. If there’s going to be a problem, it’s the upper ones that should be removed - especially the upper right one. As for the lower ones, if they aren’t causing any problems, they don’t need to be removed. If there are no symptoms or complaints, nothing should be extracted.

I’m currently not having any pain or other symptoms.
Would you remove all four wisdom teeth, only the upper ones, or just monitor them with regular X-rays?

I am 20 years old and I have had my teeth whitened once, using a red gel on my teeth and leaving it there (not sure what it’s called but I’ll leave a picture). The results have gone down and although my teeth are not as yellow as they were I want to get it redone. Would you recommend me to do the same method? Or with an LED light, which I think is more common? Which one is stronger or more effective ?

Rear lower molar, photo of outside surface - I had a large amalgam filling on chewing surface for decades, had it replaced with an inlay crown that cracked twice over a few years. 6 months ago a new dentist replaced that cracked inlay with a cerec onlay, removing more tooth structure. Noticed some pain on chewing and looked and the tooth has cracked below the onlay.

Would you let the same dentist fix this? and how bad is the prognosis?

Thank you for any insight!! Appreciate your time!

Today I noticed that one of my wisdom teeth (top left) has started to grow and peek out from my gum. However, instead of it growing downwards through the gum like the rest of my teeth, there's just a little corner of it showing through the side of my gum. It's hard to describe and I couldn't really take a picture because of the angle, so instead I just drew it in blue on this image.

Is this normal or something I should be worried about? Should I wait it out and see what happens or do I go straight to the dentist?

For additional context, the gum isn't swollen or red. I've had a stiff neck the last couple of days, but it's on the opposite side of my neck so I think I just slept in a funny position. This is also my first wisdom tooth so I don't really have a frame of reference.

I had a root canal done around 5 to 7 years ago. Just past year the tooth has been breaking away. Yesterday I felt that tooth break again but the pice didn’t fall out until this morning. What is this? There where small fragments of filling imbedded into the other end

Thank you!

Got a front tooth bonding done because I had a small crack yesterday and I think the dental therapist left the etching gel ( the acid) on too long .. now the tooth is super sensitive and has a zap sharp feeling when I try biting on something . anyone else been through this? How did you overcome it??😭😭help

I haven’t got my teeth cleaned for 2 years now due to losing insurance and not having any. My teeth feel like they are at their worst state, even after brushing them they feel rough. Whenever I floss my gums bleed. Some parts of my gum especially in the first picture beside my canine tooth stays red and inflamed and has been like that for weeks now. The redness won’t go away. I have a lot of plaque buildup and decalification. I also have really bad health anxiety. I’m in a situation where I don’t know what to do since I don’t have insurance.