Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with filling

What to do in the 2 weeks before the root canal?

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:10:54 -0800

Big throbbing hole in my tooth. Two weeks until the root canal. No instructions on what to do in the meantime. I flossed out a very large filling the other week. I went to my local clinic on an emergency basis when I started feeling pain, and they said I'd have to schedule a root canal elsewhere. I've got an appointment...and it's in two weeks.

The initial consultation was done at a overburdened clinic for people on state medical/dental benefits, so no followup care/info is available there (I didn't even have anyone to explain to me what needed to happen next, beyond getting the actual referral--total time with dentist was 2 minutes, and I was lucky to get that....non-emergency appointments have a 6 month waiting list at this point).

I don't know what I should/shouldn't be eating, drinking, or doing to minimize the chances that the tooth will crack open, the decay will worsen, the pain will go from nagging to unbearable before the appt, etc. I don't even know if 2 weeks is a normal wait time for a root canal (not that I can afford to go anywhere else--the specialist I'll be seeing is one of the only ones in the state who accepts Medicaid).

I have the temporary filling cement you can buy at the drug store, but I don't even think that's a good idea.

Please help!

How do I make the best cannoli filling ever?

jroybal — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:34:13 -0800

Headline says it all: how do I make the best cannoli filling? Ricotta+powdered sugar+vanilla? How much of each (or other ingredients) should I use? I made it last night with 1.5 lb ricotta, 1 c powdered sugar, and 1/4 tsp vanilla, using a recipe in some old Italian cookbook, but it came out a bit chalky and not as thick/creamy as it is when it comes from a restaurant. Any specific pointers (or any particularly great add-ins)? Lots of Google hits, but I'm trying to filter out the noise. Thanks in advance.

is my dentist a quack?

Jason and Laszlo — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:07:25 -0800

My tooth cracked. Is it my dentist's fault? (bonus question: is it causing my tonsillitis??) I had a filling in my tooth. Several months passed and the dentist had to replace the filling with a new one. Now, the tooth feels cracked. Is my dentist a bad dentist? Is this his fault or is this a normal complication for a filling?

Bonus question: too much googling and hypochondria has led me to believe that my untreated cracked tooth has become infected (although not painful) and is causing swollen tonsils. Is this correlation accurate? Has this happened to you? (yes I have a doctor's appointment scheduled).

Holy Rotten Baby Teeth, Batman

swilkerson — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:50:39 -0800

My three year old just had his filling break off (or fall out) his front tooth a mere seven days after having a dental procedure. Needless to say, it looks AWFUL. Is there some dental technique I should ask my dentist about to get something that will provide a more permanent(ish) solution until his adult teeth come in? Lots more below. We had been giving our son on-demand Milk + Carnation Instant Breakfast as a weight-gainer of sort since he was about 18 months old -- on our doctor's recommendation. Apparently all of the sugar hit his front teeth constantly because he was taking it through the sippy cup resulting in - yep, a handful of cavities on the front teeth and incisors. The pediatric dentist said he needed fillings, and he ended up undergoing a fairly length dental procedure that involved sedatives, nitrous, and being strapped to a papoose (and heartbreaking crying and screaming). We were not told that there were any restrictions on regular eating habits or that the fix had been anything less than successful.

Four months later, when my son was eating carrot sticks, I was horrified to find that one of the fillings had broken out, leaving two huge holes in the front tooth and incisor (the filling had been between the two teeth, and apparently they did a fair amount of drilling to make a place for it, as the cavity itself was very small from all outward appearances when we took him in initially). We took him back to the dentist again and went through the whole ordeal of sedatives/papoose/etc again. This time, he also got a root canal, a new filling, and a crown. The dentist (a different dentist from the first go-round) told me that he shouldn't eat whole apples/carrots/other hard foods that put a lot of pressure on the front teeth and indicated that there was a good chance that the filling could break out again, because it was hard for a filling to bond to the smooth surface of the front teeth.

Seven days later, we're back to a broken filling and a huge hole. We've been very diligent about not letting him bite into hard things with his front teeth (or at all, for that matter). Is there really no good way to fix baby teeth in the front?

(FYI - I'm waiting for a call back from the dentist now ... as it's a Saturday, all I could do was call his answering service)

PS - I'm not interested in "they're just baby teeth; ride it out" types of advice. Kids can be cruel, and I'm not sending my kid to preschool with a rotten broken tooth right in the front. You can disagree with that decision, but I'm not looking for advice on it.

Will Obama give me money?

photomusic86 — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:12:05 -0800

Will the stimulus law affect my tax filling? Because of a minor miscalculation when i changed jobs, I owe about $100. Will the stimulus change that? or does the law affect me in any other way?
Single male, 23 and living with parents.

To Beer or not to...

Groovytimes — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:51:20 -0800

Is it safe to drink alcohol after a cavity filling? My friends and I are going out for a drink tomorrow, but Im getting a filling around 2pm. If I were to drink it probably wouldn't be until 7 or 8. My drinking usually encompasses beer. Is it safe to drink?

eggs are yucky, what isn't?

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:09:11 -0800

What is a good breakfast? My boyfriend and I had a "fried egg on a piece of whole-grain bread" breakfast for the last year or so. It was quick to make, filling, not sugary, and seemed to have a good nutritional profile for the start of the day. Also, the ritual of frying the egg and making the toast was fun.

I've never really liked the idea of eggs all that much, but just somehow got over my dislike for a year. Now eggs have started grossing me out again.

What is another good breakfast for two that is not too heavy, not too sugary, good nutritionally, and relatively quick in the morning? (and has some degree of ritual beyond popping open the top of a yogurt container)

How to fill in multiple webforms from a list

dripped — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:02:24 -0800

I am looking for some automated method of using a txt list of names to submit into a single value web form that in turn returns a web page with data that I am interested in. I have no programming skills, so kind of looking for some sort of idiot proof answer. Any ideas?

Filling fell out...what to do till I can see my dentist?

scody — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:46:56 -0800

Dammit. It looks like part of a filling in one of my molars has fallen out... on the evening before Thanksgiving, naturally! I've already called my dentist and no one's in the office till Monday (and I don't think this counts as a bona fide emergency). What should I do to minimize the damage till I can get in to see him? I'm not in any pain. Nothing's exposed, except the rough/chipped edges on the edge of the tooth. I probably have some wax left over from my old days with braces that I can cram in there. Is there anything else I can do or should be aware of?

Fill me up for a fiver, please.

bjork24 — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:58:45 -0800

My wife (a spectacular cook) is out of town, I have $5.00 for lunch, and I'm not in the mood to make something for myself. Since this will probably be my only meal of the day, what's the most filling food I can buy for ~$5.00? I'm open to fast food, slow food, food from the gas station; just as long as I don't have to cook or prepare it myself.

Is there really an advantage to gold dental fillings?

Joey Michaels — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 03:14:36 -0800

Is there really an advantage to gold dental fillings? It is time to replace one of the fillings at the back of my mouth. My dentist is telling me that, since this is a chewing tooth, gold is the best material for this filling. While I think gold looks tacky as a filling substance, it isn't as if anyone other than he is going to see it, so that is not an issue for me.

The issue is that this is the first time a gold filling has ever been suggested. Is this really a better material for a long term filling?

I likely swallowed a fillling in my sleep- is there any danger to my health?

biffa — Thu, 15 Apr 2004 08:40:34 -0800

I lost a filling the other day and figure its most likely I swallowed it (in my sleep). Is this likely to present any danger to my health? Will it most likely just be inert and come out in the wash, so to speak? I'm not sure what it was made of, whatever they were putting in UK NHS amalgam 7-8 years ago.