<p>When I was really little, I got a cavity in one of my further-back teeth. I got a filling, blah blah blah.</p>
<p>I haven't been to the dentist in probably three years or so, because (1) I had braces for about a year and a half of that, (2) we couldn't afford it, and (3) I never really had issues with my teeth.</p>
<p>However, just recently, I started having pains in and around the tooth in which I had the cavity. Again, we don't have money to spend on going to the dentist, so I've delayed it as long as possible. But in the past few days, the tooth pain has gotten worse. I have always had sensitivity to cold back there, but it has gotten extremely bad. I also have sensitivity to heat now, as well as tenderness in the tooth/gums after chewing food (one time I bit down and felt an excruciatingly sharp pain). The tooth looks slightly discolored, although not too bad, and "blackness" that I used to think was the filling has spread to a couple other areas, but the gums look very healthy.</p>
<p>I think this might have been partially caused by the filling being removed over time, as my retainer has a metal piece that sticks right in the gap between my teeth where the filling was placed. However, I've read about the need for root canals if the tooth has decayed too seriously, but my mother insists that I won't need one of those.</p>
<p>I know this is High School Life and all, but it's the best place I can think of to ask for advice before I go to the dentist (we are trying to make an appointment right now, even though we are going to have trouble paying for it). Does anyone know what might be wrong? Will I need a root canal, or just to have my cavity filling replaced (if this is the case, I will probably have a new cavity caused by the old one that will also need to be filled)?</p>
<p>I recommend going to the dentist. If you continue to prolong the trip your pain may just become progressively worse and the amount of money you’ll have to pay to repair the damage could just increase.</p>
<p>If you have insurance though, you shouldn’t have to pay the full price.</p>
<p>Like I said, I already am working on getting an appointment, I just want to know what to expect. Thanks for the link.</p>
<p>Have not had my wisdom teeth taken out yet, as they have actually not even shown up yet. I don’t know if they’ll ever come in, and if they do I don’t know if they will need to be extracted.</p>
<p>I was just wondering because people typically need to get them extracted before they grow in (they often alternate the positioning of teeth and cause considerable pain).</p>
<p>Go to the dentist. Your dentist might be really cool and like my dentist. My dentist is really willing to help set up a payment plan and work with people.</p>
<p>I went to the dentist yesterday and it was terribly expensive, but worth it, seeing as how I have a cavity. (Two actually… but the first… the filling fell out and the dentist didn’t realize it… so he’s fixing it free of charge. =)0</p>
<p>Trust me. I had a root canal when I was 5 or 6. You do NOT want to let your teeth keep decaying. My dentist didn’t really check my teeth well when I was little and so I ended up with a LOT of problems early on and I still have a cavity almost every single time I go to the dentist. Anyways, I changed dentists, and my new one has been really great, but he had to do a lot of work to save my teeth… and those were my baby teeth. Imagine what’s going to happen to your permanent teeth if you don’t get it checked out?</p>
<p>@Wartsandall - I see. Yeah I’m pretty sure that’s not the cause, but thanks for pointing it out.</p>
<p>@neltharion - No, that’s what causes the pain most often.</p>
<p>@AUGirl - A root canal at 5/6? That’s really uncommon, I’ve heard. That had to have sucked. I know I need to get it checked out, we just can’t afford it right now. We have pet issues, car issues for two cars, graduation issues, birthday issues, appliance issues, and so on. Plus, college.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice guys, although as I said I am already trying to get an appointment ASAP.</p>
<p>^Yeah. It really, really, really sucked. My first dentist at 3-4 years old, basically let my teeth rot out… but he was cheap, so that’s why we went. And then I started having really major pain, so my mom called up his office and he basically refused to do anything, so my mom switched to my current dentist and he had to do a whole lot of work… including the root canal. It really sucked and my teeth are pretty screwed up now from that I think. I always leave the dentist with between 1-4 cavities each visit. I think I’ve probably had a cavity in each tooth. XD But the point is, you want to get it fixed ASAP so that it doesn’t cost you more.</p>
<p>And amen to the not being able to afford it. My mom actually made me go in and only get 2 cavities filled when I had four, because we couldn’t pay for all of them. So I went back a few months later and got the other 2 fixed.</p>
<p>My god. Our dental bill yesterday for the check up was $386 for my mom and me. Terrible.</p>
<p>On the bright side… I never needed braces. =) I have really straight teeth. haha</p>
<p>Just had the appointment, and I will indeed need a root canal. He said it wasn’t a serious case though so it shouldn’t be too long, difficult, or painful. =/</p>
<p>Appointment either tomorrow or next week sometime.</p>
<p>Root canals can be very expensive. If you have a major hospital or medical center near you, I suggest you call them. Most either have or are associated with a dental clinic that will do the work at little or no cost.</p>
<p>There’s a specialist who’s supposedly really good at doing root canals (that’s all he does) and although he’s a bit more expensive, it’s supposed to be really helpful.</p>
<p>I’m getting it done, just not sure how soon. Will I be okay if I wait a week, as long as I don’t chew on the side of my mouth with the problem and make sure I brush really well?</p>