Serverlife

Do I have a cavity? 👀
Got this panoramic X-ray done and I’m curious if anyone spots anything concerning. One area has been bothering me a bit, but I’m not sure if it’s actually a cavity or something else. Any thoughts?

High-translucent zirconia crowns — before & after transformation ✨

Pain and what looks like a hole in my gum — I’m honestly freaking out, please help 😭

I’m 20 and still have my wisdom teeth. For the past few days I’ve had soreness and pain in the back of my jaw. I assumed it would go away on its own, and since I’m in the middle of finals, I haven’t really had time to deal with it.

I actually had a dentist appointment on Monday and figured that if it was something serious, they would’ve noticed and said something. They didn’t mention anything, and I forgot to bring it up myself. But now it’s still hurting, and I noticed what looks like a small hole or opening in the gum behind my molar.

I’m really scared. Does this mean my wisdom teeth need to come out? What happens if I can’t get them removed right away? If it’s not wisdom teeth related, what else could it be?

Please help 😭

(Edit: I’ve never smoked, vaped, or drank alcohol. I do struggle with depression, but I’m pretty consistent with brushing twice a day and floss when I remember to.)

Can anyone help me understand what my dental X-ray is showing? I recently had an orthodontic consultation, and the dentist recommended extracting four teeth to treat my bimaxillary protrusion. They said the whole treatment would likely take around two years.

I’m honestly feeling really unsure about going through with it. I’d really prefer to avoid extractions if possible, so I wanted to hear if anyone has had a similar experience or gotten alternative treatment options.

I actually had braces before, but the treatment ended badly and left my teeth/bite worse than before. My previous orthodontist really messed things up, so now I’m extra anxious and skeptical about starting another major orthodontic plan.

Would really appreciate any advice, experiences, or second opinions. Thanks so much.

Agoraphobic, dentophobic, and living with FND — I’m feeling hopeless.

Am I in serious trouble? Could this kill me if I can’t get to a dentist? What if I physically can’t endure the procedure because I still feel everything, even with numbing?

I’m honestly terrified. Most of the time I dissociate from this so heavily that I can barely even think about it, let alone talk about it. But tonight I’m scared enough to finally ask for help, reassurance, advice… anything.

I’ve been very inconsistent with dental treatment over the years.

TL;DR: I’m mentally ill, severely dentophobic, and dealing with FND. This tooth ( #2) was shattered during what I believe was a dental malpractice incident back in 2019. Ever since then, dental procedures have been traumatic for me, especially because numbing injections barely seem to work — I can still feel intense pain no matter how many shots they give me. I have multiple cavities, but this one is the worst. The nerve was removed at some point, and the tooth has continued rotting away over the years. This is what it looks like now.

The full story is a bit long, but please bear with me.

Back in 2019, I was homeless and uninsured. Against my better judgment, I went to a dental van parked outside the shelter I was staying at because I had a painful cavity in my back right wisdom tooth. I thought it would just be a simple filling and I’d be done.

During the procedure, I suddenly heard and felt a loud *CRACK*. A dental tool had broken in my mouth and slammed into the tooth in front of the one they were working on. They immediately told me not to move or swallow while they collected broken pieces from my mouth — and I honestly think some of those pieces may have been parts of my tooth.

They barely addressed it afterward and just finished filling the cavity.

A few hours later, the pain became unbearable. I can barely remember parts of it because of how intense it was. I also noticed a razor-sharp edge cutting into my tongue and cheek every time I moved my mouth. Eventually I filed the sharp part down myself because I couldn’t take it anymore.

The pain and tenderness lasted over a week. Then one day, while I was talking, a chunk of tooth literally fell into my hand. I assumed it was the filling.

I went to the ER, and they told me tooth #2 had actually been shattered. Completely fractured into pieces. The sharp edge I had filed down was part of that tooth, not the one they filled. The piece that fell out? Also part of the shattered tooth.

They also told me the original filling in tooth #1 was already crumbling and that I’d likely lose that tooth too without a root canal.

Years have passed since then. I eventually had the wisdom tooth removed, but I never got the shattered tooth properly treated.

It’s been checked by dentists multiple times over the years, but because of finances, worsening fear, agoraphobia, and the increasing complexity of treatment, I’ve never been able to fully follow through. What started as “maybe a filling” turned into “needs a root canal,” and now apparently it needs to be extracted.

I also have other cavities that are getting worse.

Last year I genuinely tried to start treatment again, but the appointment had to stop because I could still feel everything despite repeated numbing injections. We spent 20–30 minutes trying to get me numb enough just to continue, and it never fully worked.

I’ve recently been diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), and part of me wonders if the extreme fear and neurological issues are affecting how my body processes pain or anesthesia. I honestly don’t know.

Because of all of this — the trauma, agoraphobia, chronic mental illness, fear, dissociation — I’ve avoided dealing with it. Now the tooth looks like this. The gum around it becomes swollen and painful if I don’t constantly brush, floss, and manually clean the cavity out. I sometimes use iodine on it when it gets irritated. I think a dentist removed the nerve at some point because it stopped having deep nerve pain years ago.

I know this is bad. I know I’ve avoided it too long.

I guess what I’m asking is:
Am I in immediate danger? Could this become life-threatening if I still can’t get treatment soon? And what are people supposed to do when they physically cannot tolerate dental procedures, even with anesthetic?

I’m exhausted and scared and honestly ashamed. If anyone has advice, reassurance, similar experiences, or even just kind words, I would really appreciate it.

Need a 2nd opinion on my X-ray. The clinic doctor wasn’t sure what this area could be and has referred me to the general hospital for further checks. Has anyone had something similar before? Should I be worried?

Single-canal mandibular second molar ( #31 / FDI 47) — CBCT confirmed. Another rare one for the collection.

I saw a post here recently about a lower 7 with a single canal, so I thought I’d share a case I ran into this week with the exact same anatomy variant.

Patient was referred for RCT on #31 (FDI 47). The pre-op PA already looked suspicious for a fused/conical root morphology, but I proceeded with access first. After entering the chamber, I could only identify a single or***ce — no MB/ML separation and no distal canal, even under magnification.

At that point, I decided to take a CBCT to rule out a missed canal before continuing treatment. Both the axial and sagittal slices confirmed a single fused root with one large central canal. I couldn’t identify any secondary canal splitting apically or any obvious isthmus formation either.

Always satisfying to confirm these uncommon anatomies with CBCT rather than chasing canals that simply aren’t there.

Composite overhangs 🦷

Are composite overhangs a big issue if floss doesn’t catch on them? For example, on a #5 DO the floss passes through perfectly with a snap and doesn’t shred at all. Would you still redo something like that?

Also, I’ve seen people mention using finishing strips to smooth these out, but I often struggle getting the strips through the contact. How are you guys managing to get them down interproximally?

Overfilling?

Hi everyone! I had a root canal done on my upper right front tooth in 2020, and a crown was placed on it in 2024. Over the past 4 days I’ve started having pain in the tooth. It’s manageable as long as I leave it alone and take Advil, but it’s definitely worrying me.

I booked a dental appointment right away, and they told me there are no signs of infection on the X-ray. However, they mentioned the root canal may be slightly overfilled and that this could be causing the pain. They said it may settle down on its own and they might not need to do anything, but they’re referring me to an endodontist for a specialist opinion.

I’m still feeling anxious about it and was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience or can offer any insight based on the X-rays. Thanks so much!

My dentist told me this tooth needs to be extracted and that a root canal isn’t possible. Looking for thoughts/advice.

I have a cracked tooth that I think eventually turned into a cavity. A few days ago I was in extreme pain for about a day, so I called my dentist. They recommended extracting the tooth right away and said they would not be able to do a root canal. My insurance would cover a root canal, but not an implant.

They suggested getting an implant after the extraction, but I can’t really afford that out of pocket right now. The strange thing is the pain has completely gone away, and I’m currently able to chew on that side without any discomfort.

A couple questions:

1. Based on this X-ray, does it really seem like the tooth can’t be saved with a root canal?

2. If I’m no longer in pain, does it still need to be extracted?

I’m in my early 30s and honestly nervous about losing the tooth, especially after reading about bone loss and the long implant process. Ideally, I’d like to keep the tooth as long as possible, even if it eventually needs to come out later. I may be able to get better insurance in January or at least save up and prepare financially for an implant down the line.

Any advice or second opinions would really be appreciated.

My file snapped during a root canal 😬
After the procedure my dentist showed me the X-ray and explained that a small piece of the file broke off inside the canal, but said the canal was fully cleaned and filled and it shouldn’t cause any issues.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this or if I should be concerned? Would really appreciate a second opinion!