# how many cavities have you had?



## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

in my 30 years, ive only had one

edit:
hmm i added a '0' option. wasnt there another post with the same problem? i guess it doesnt allow you to add '0' as the first option?


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## Razorblade Kiss (Oct 29, 2006)

Oh, 'cos I was about to say "How about zero?" I've never had any.


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## mserychic (Oct 2, 2004)

Can't count that high


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## HangNail (Sep 1, 2005)

I haven't had any :boogie 
(I love that smiley)


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## Kardax (Dec 29, 2004)

Reminds me, I need to get to the dentist... I'm about 8 years overdue for an appointment...

-Ryan


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## Lonelyguy (Nov 8, 2003)

I have four fillings on my upper teeth (two on each side). I think I have at least one cavity on my lower right side now that I should get taken care of, but I haven't been to the dentist in years since its one of my biggest fears.


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## Strength (Aug 12, 2006)

You can edit the poll and try it again....maybe you have to type in "zero" lol


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

four 
One was a baby tooth.


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## Buerhle (Mar 6, 2006)

alot.

many. 

I have no idea how many. prob at least 20
I had so many one time, they had to schedule me for two seperate days to fill them.


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## Andre (Feb 27, 2004)

Strength said:


> You can edit the poll and try it again....maybe you have to type in "zero" lol


Yes, zero works, or none. I had this problem with a poll once.


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## jab_au (Oct 9, 2006)

A big fat zero.


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## leppardess (Nov 8, 2003)

Apparently, it doesn't accept the number '0' so I typed in the word 'zero' for the additional poll option.


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

None.

Well actually I technically did have one, but it was a very unusual case. I always had this little pit or groove on my top right lateral incisor right near the gumline, ever since that tooth came in. Finally on my last checkup the dentist noticed it and determined that it should be filled in. Apparently it was due to a structural flaw during the formation of the tooth....two plates that are supposed to come together didn't for some reason, leaving a 'natural' cavity. I never felt it but it could have been a breeding ground for bacteria and become a problem later on.


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## Formerly Artie (Jun 26, 2007)

Ever since my last dentist, I don't think I'll be going back.

Through sheer luck though, here's a picture I was able to take of him coming into work.


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

I had one cavity in my right upper molar, and it was filled. I think I was in 3rd grade which has been way back in 1978. I never had anymore problem with my teeth. I inherited the good teeth gene from my mom's side of the family. My dads side they have nothing but problem with their teeth. I go to the same dentist as my dad and the dentist can't believe the difference.


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## Fiera (Sep 1, 2005)

one


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## Becky (Nov 5, 2003)

A whole lot :fall


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## Disintegrate (Jun 28, 2006)

I'm not sure. I'd have to do a cavity search.


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## Dreamcatcher (Nov 8, 2003)

I have zero cavities. I have sealants on my teeth which really helps in preventing them.


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## Kelly (Dec 12, 2003)

I've had one. It was a few years ago and I had anxiety about going to the dentist, so I waited until the tooth crumbled into my mouth. Uh... oops. Then I sucked it up and went in and got it filled.

Have a nice day,
Kelly


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## Dovetailing (Jul 25, 2006)

I've never had a cavity before! I'm pretty obsessive about my oral hygiene.


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## ghostgurl (Sep 20, 2004)

I've never had a cavity thankfully.


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## coldmorning (Jul 4, 2007)

I've had a couple.


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## Eraserhead (Sep 23, 2006)

Many. Maybe a dozen, maybe more.

In fact, my last check-up just revealed 3 new ones! My dentist was overjoyed...


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## joe81 (Dec 16, 2006)

Are we talking all adult teeth? Or life time. Cause if its all together I've had at least 10 or so....I love that needle.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

I had a root canal - saw tools that I'd never seen before, including ones that glow in the dark.


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## James of Maine (Sep 8, 2005)

I have sealants in all four rearmost molars, and multiple fillings all over my teeth, including fillings that have had to be replaced. My molars (especially) are deteriorating from my teeth-grinding, and I'll probably need crowns at some point.


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## VoxPop (Nov 9, 2003)

Two as a child (baby teeth) and none ever since.


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## FreeSoul (Jan 1, 2006)

I've only had a couple so far in life.


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

zero :boogie 
so far... :um


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## McFly (Jul 15, 2014)

I've had three filled but suspect more.


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## Skeletra (Aug 30, 2012)

I have no idea. Never counted, but I get them every now and then.


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

Most of my molars have fillings and one front tooth (backside). So over 10. I brush my teeth a lot but...I guess I have bad bacteria in my mouth. Both my parents had lots of cavities too, so maybe I got their bacteria. I also let my cavities go for a long while from age 19 to 27. My boyfriend at the time said my mouth looked like a funeral, whatever that means. Luckily I did not need a root canal. I replaced all my old metal fillings with white ones during that period and got new fillings for the new cavities.

I guess it's time to go to the dentist again. It's been over another decade since my last visit. I'll wait till my next job. See if I can get insurance. Last employer was a cheap jerk. No dental insurance, no eye insurance, no pension, and only paid for half of medical insurance.


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## xxDark Horse (May 13, 2015)

Too many to count because I have shtty asss teeth that I inherited from my dad.

Iv'e had them so much it's not even a big deal anymore when I do get one.


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## Hikin (Aug 13, 2014)

Six and it's all my fault, I have good teeth overall, I was a dumb kid and didn't take great care of them.


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## Memories of Silence (May 15, 2015)

I only have one filling, but I think I need about four more. The dentist is always too busy to take bookings, so I don't know when I'll get them.

I feel bad for needing them because I feel like I'm not looking after my teeth good enough, but I brush them about three times a day.


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## sajs (Jan 3, 2015)

4 that I am sure of (1 on each four sides at the same position that have fillings -yes very symmetric) . But since I do not remember if there are any others I voted 5-6 instead.


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## Skeletra (Aug 30, 2012)

Silent Memory said:


> I only have one filling, but I think I need about four more. The dentist is always too busy to take bookings, so I don't know when I'll get them.
> 
> I feel bad for needing them because I feel like I'm not looking after my teeth good enough, but I brush them about three times a day.


You shouldn't feel bad. I know someone who brushes maybe twice a month and she has only had two cavities her entire life. She's 52.
Out of curiosity, how long after eating do you brush? You should at least wait 10 minutes, as you may risk damaging the enamel. You should also avoid acidic food and beverages before bedtime.
If you have a neutral or alkaline ph value in your mouth, you're less likely to develop cavities 

Edit: corrected info.


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## sajs (Jan 3, 2015)

komorikun said:


> Most of my molars have fillings and one front tooth (backside). So over 10. I brush my teeth a lot but...I guess I have bad bacteria in my mouth. Both my parents had lots of cavities too, so maybe I got their bacteria. I also let my cavities go for a long while from age 19 to 27. My boyfriend at the time said my mouth *looked like a funeral*, whatever that means. Luckily I did not need a root canal. I replaced all my old metal fillings with white ones during that period and got new fillings for the new cavities.
> 
> I guess it's time to go to the dentist again. It's been over another decade since my last visit. I'll wait till my next job. See if I can get insurance. Last employer was a cheap jerk. No dental insurance, no eye insurance, no pension, and only paid for half of medical insurance.


I don't really know, but it might mean there is a lot of black ?


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## SplendidBob (May 28, 2014)

Probably over 10, no idea. I half suspect my old dentist used to just make them up and give me fillings for the £


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## Memories of Silence (May 15, 2015)

Skeletra said:


> You shouldn't feel bad. I know someone who brushes maybe twice a month and she has only had two cavities her entire life. She's 52.
> Out of curiosity, how long after eating do you brush? You should at least wait 10 minutes, as you may risk damaging the enamel. You should also avoid acidic food and beverages before bedtime.
> If you have a more neutral value in your mouth, you're less likely to develop cavities
> (I'll double check if I remember this correctly when I come home in 11-ish hours ^^)


I always wait at least 30 minutes. Everyone else in my family has bad teeth, so I've been lucky with mine.


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## SD92 (Nov 9, 2013)

When I went to the dentist last month, he said one of them had a hole in it and might need to come out but the rest are fine. It was the first time I'd been to a dentist. Then I got the some tartar cleaned out at the next appointment. I'm going back in October for a check up.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

I don't really know. I have/had one tooth in the back that developed a cavity and eventually started breaking off. I don't actually feel any huge cavities now but I'm sure they're there somewhere. I haven't had a dental checkup or cleaning or whatever since the early 90s IIRC. 

My teeth are not in awesome shape (visibly) but I guess it's kind of surprising they are still there at all, under the circumstances.

Actually, the funny thing is the one cavity I did have that caused me to lose the tooth started out as a filling from way back when I was a kid. I remember having one of those teeth filled and thinking back, it was probably that one. The filling probably eventually came out and that's why it seemed like a perfect hole until it started to decay. Most likely it was perfectly round because it was drilled.


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## Fangirl96 (Apr 13, 2015)

Only 1, and i didn't get it until i was 18. It think it was pretty small because i did it without local anasthesia and survived that (the dentist did look a bit unsure about my choice tho). Went through 18 years of zero dental problems, not even braces, and then it had to go downhill right before my free dental care ends. Fml.


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## Kevin001 (Jan 2, 2015)

In my life? Oh God, maybe 6. :stu


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## Cletis (Oct 10, 2011)

Too many to count. Most have been small ones though.


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## lostinlife (Jun 2, 2010)

4. All in the back teeth. The spacing in my teeth is really tight so it was just really tough to keep that area clean. Take care of cavities early on because having it progress to needing a root canal really sucks (It's like $1000+ for root canal + crown compared to $60-$70 for a filling. A root canal also usually takes 4 visits for the procedure to be completely "done" since you need to have a crown put in.)


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## M0rbid (Jan 11, 2011)

zero but there were slick dentists who tried to convince me that I had 4-6 cavities. Effin crooks.


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## flyingMint (Aug 31, 2015)

Ive had 6 cavities, two of them were so bad they had to remove my tooth completely another three were filled and now I have a small cavity on my extra wisdom tooth which isn't that bad so I think I'll just leave it alone.


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## Amethyst Forest (Jul 29, 2012)

I have 5. I brush 2-3 times per day (but not immediately after meals, as that can damage the enamel, but I do rinse my mouth with water right after eating), I floss twice a day, I avoid sweets and sodas, and I oil pull, but my molars just happen to be super cavity-prone. My dentist told me that all of the cavities I've had were pretty much inevitable because I have such deep crevices in my molars that the enamel never actually closed off there. Only one of the cavities has a filling, though; 3 of them fell out within two years, one of which was redone three times, until he said that he couldn't fill the tooth. The fifth was never seen by a dentist. I can't afford to get the other ones redone right now, or the new one done, so I take care to brush very well (but gently, as brushing too hard damages the enamel), and pick the holes to remove debris my toothbrush missed and then pack them with a tiny bit of toothpaste. I've been doing this for 5 years, and the cavities have not grown any larger. I do not advise doing as I do, though; in no way is this a substitute for going to the dentist; go to the dentist while it's still a small problem, before it becomes a big one, or many big ones.


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## lostinlife (Jun 2, 2010)

M0rbid said:


> zero but there were slick dentists who tried to convince me that I had 4-6 cavities. Effin crooks.


Some dentists have a broad interpretation of "cavity." Sometimes you get some enamel damage from brushing too hard but they haven't actually progressed to actual tooth decay. Some dentists are more conservative about filling those in. I think there were some studies that said there was no benefit in filling those types of cavities early, but different dentists may have different opinions about that.


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## M0rbid (Jan 11, 2011)

lostinlife said:


> Some dentists have a broad interpretation of "cavity." Sometimes you get some enamel damage from brushing too hard but they haven't actually progressed to actual tooth decay. Some dentists are more conservative about filling those in. I think there were some studies that said there was no benefit in filling those types of cavities early, but different dentists may have different opinions about that.


these dentists use this sketchy device called Diagnodent. Its widely known for multiple false positive readings.


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## lostinlife (Jun 2, 2010)

M0rbid said:


> these dentists use this sketchy device called Diagnodent. Its widely known for multiple false positive readings.


Interesting. How did dentists used to identify cavities before that device? Just visual sight? I don't have dental phobia, but I have a hard time trusting dentists as well. It can be hard to tell if what they tell you is accurate or an overblown cash grab.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

lostinlife said:


> Interesting. How did dentists used to identify cavities before that device? Just visual sight? I don't have dental phobia, but I have a hard time trusting dentists as well. It can be hard to tell if what they tell you is accurate or an overblown cash grab.


 As far as I know they use X-rays.


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## M0rbid (Jan 11, 2011)

lostinlife said:


> Interesting. How did dentists used to identify cavities before that device? Just visual sight? I don't have dental phobia, but I have a hard time trusting dentists as well. It can be hard to tell if what they tell you is accurate or an overblown cash grab.


Xrays didnt show anything. They were poking my molars with an explorer and found it to be sticky which they believe was cavity. This was a false positive reading because people with deep fissures have sticky pittings... It was also confirmed from my current trustworthy dentist.


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## lostinlife (Jun 2, 2010)

WillYouStopDave said:


> As far as I know they use X-rays.


Which one is the one where they make like a 3d sketch of your teeth and highlight the problem areas on the computer? Is that one Diagnodent? The dentist I was going to uses this small camera to show decay on a computer but that seems to be something different.

My mom had to get a root canal recently and the dentist said she needed $1000 worth of dental work for cavities alone (she hasn't been to the dentist in a long time). The dentist did an excellent job with the root canal, but I would like to get a second opinion on all this work since that is a significant amount of money.


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## chefdave (Dec 16, 2013)

M0rbid said:


> these dentists use this sketchy device called Diagnodent. Its widely known for multiple false positive readings.


I was told by a dentist 5 years ago that I had a cavity. I chose to ignore his advice and the tooth has been absolutely fine ever since. My dental regime is quite rigorous though.

I only have 2 fillings and they were both on the NHS, I never experienced any problems with the teeth in question and looking back suspect the NHS dentists may have just been trying to achieve their quota to keep the gov't cash rolling in.


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## M0rbid (Jan 11, 2011)

chefdave said:


> I was told by a dentist 5 years ago that I had a cavity. I chose to ignore his advice and the tooth has been absolutely fine ever since. My dental regime is quite rigorous though.
> 
> *I only have 2 fillings and they were both on the NHS, I never experienced any problems with the teeth in question* and looking back suspect the NHS dentists may have just been trying to achieve their quota to keep the gov't cash rolling in.


how long ago was this?


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## chefdave (Dec 16, 2013)

M0rbid said:


> how long ago was this?


Years ago. 1 about 10 years ago and the other about 6. In fact the second filling actually caused me toothache for quite a time afterwards on what was a problem-free tooth. Luckily my bottom teeth haven't been tampered with and only 1 of the NHS ones is visible.


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## Charmander (Sep 5, 2012)

I have one filling, but it was also from a brand new dentist who I've never seen since, and I'm not convinced I needed it done anyway. 

My mom has quite a lot because a few decades ago they'd just recommend fillings for whatever reason apparently.


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## unemployment simulator (Oct 18, 2015)

I think I had about 4 fillings as a kid. I put it down to the diet which consisted of candy and chocolate every day. as an adult I have rarely even needed to use the dentist, changed up my diet, it's a lot lower in sugar now.


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## Nekomata (Feb 3, 2012)

I can't remember. Probably a lot. Haven't been to the dentist in ages though.


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