I tend to grind my teeth and now am wondering if that can cause a cavity. I’ve been having pain in my lower back teeth. It doesn’t last long, just a moment, then all of my bottom teeth will feel like someone is pulling on them and letting go. The sensation doesn’t last long. I’ve never had a cavity before so I don’t know what that feels like. I had a check-up just a few weeks ago and my dentist gave me a clean bill of health. Can a cavity develop that quickly?
Avery
Dear Avery,
I want to start off by saying your teeth are not okay if you have a grinding habit. Your dentist should have addressed this. Many people who grind their teeth do it at night while they sleep so they don’t even realize they are doing it. This is why it is incumbent upon dentists to keep an eye out for those things. Without intervention, your teeth can end up ground down to nubs.
As for the pain you’re describing, it is hard to make any definitive diagnosis because I haven’t examined you. I wish there were at least x-rays to examine. I’m concerned, based on what you’ve hinted about your dentist thus far, that your examinations aren’t very thorough.
I will say the pain you are describing doesn’t sound like the pain you may get with decay. There are two possibilities that come to mind. The first is gum disease. Hopefully, your dentist has been checking for that at each appointment. The second possibility is trauma from your teeth grinding.
This needs to be determined rather quickly. I’m going to highly suggest you get a second opinion. If it is gum disease, by the time you start experiencing pain from it means it has advanced. You are likely to have significant bone loss. This will require treatment to keep you from losing your teeth.
If it turns out to be from the teeth grinding, not only will you develop TMJ disorder, but you will end up needing a full-mouth reconstruction. That requires crowning every tooth and will cost a small fortune. When you consider that the solution to teeth grinding is an inexpensive nightguard, you can see why I’m concerned about the thoroughness of the care you’re getting.
Get that second opinion.
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