cavity

A couple weeks ago, I shared that I had fears of a cavity recurring or worsening. The following Monday, I went to see my dentist. Fortunately, the discomfort had subsided, but I was still skeptical of the tooth. What did it mean for my oral health and the course of my Invisalign treatment?

Flooded with trepidation that this damn tooth was causing problems, I marched into my dentist’s office. We promptly took a new set of bite-wing X-rays.

Apparently the composite used for Invisalign Attachments looks funny on X-rays.

Survey Says

My hygienist couldn’t commit to a diagnosis without the dentist taking a look, but between my explanation of the timeline of my symptoms, how I was managing them when they were present, and the absence of a spooky spot on the X-rays… things looked okay.

We went about my cleaning. Even though I am religious about my dental hygiene appointments, I somehow always forget how wildly unpleasant the scraping aspect of a cleaning is. This time, I needed less of that attention than ever (that’s what brushing and flossing 3-4x/day gets you! woo!) but I would rate that routine aspect of a dental cleaning as worse (yes!) than IPR.

Cavity Update

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I am now on Tray 30 of my initial 36 active trays. In contrast with my expectations, treatment has been incredibly smooth-sailing. Obsessive oral hygiene is my new normal. I successfully underwent three rounds of IPR without issue.

One tooth, however, started giving me trouble around Tray 26. I do not believe this is the result of treatment, though; this particular bicuspid had been filled prior to starting treatment. Unlike all of my other fillings, I have never been fully at ease with this one. Flossing adjacent to it is odd. I’ve had tremendous cold sensitivity there unlike anything I experience elsewhere. Last month, I started getting inconsistent bursts of intense pain there, made worse by chewing or exposure to cold (liquid or air). In the past week or two that discomfort and cold sensitivity has ceased, but I’m not letting my guard down.

Cavity Scare

This pain is not unlike an escalating cavity, and isn’t unlike what I experienced with that tooth before I had it filled. As far as I can tell without WebMD-ing myself into a panic, this is most likely either:

• A too-conservative filling resulting in progression of the cavity (in spite of nearly-OCD oral hygiene and a cleaner diet than I’ve ever had)
• The filling has become insecure and is applying pressure to the remaining nerve

My next checkup wasn’t until April but I moved it up to Monday to a) see what on earth is going on and b) hopefully remedy it (or at least make a plan to do so).

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