Fillings

[an innocent man]

Hi
First of all I have to admit to not having any dental treatment for over 20 years. I am trying to overcome this phobia and part of this is about getting fillings.
I last went to a dentist 2 years ago where I was told I needed eight filings. Apart from my massive fear of having all this work done, I am seriously worried as to how effective fillings are.
Everyone I know who has had fillings has said that they broke/came out/ had to be re-done/ caused a lot of pain afterwards.
The dentist I saw two years ago was unable to give me much assurance that the fillings would not fall out. He would only say they should not fall out!

So I don't want to get a lot of fillings and then have to keep returning to the dentist year after year to get them re-done etc. Can anyone provide me with any truthful reassurance on this or will getting fillings lead to a terrible dependence on going to a dentist over and over to get my fillings replaced (something, frankly, I could not face).

Many thanks

Ciaran

 

[honestdoc]

I'm very big on prevention. It is best not to get any cavities. If you have cavities, then you need fillings. Fillings will never be as good as natural teeth (no fillings). If you have cavities, you can't let it go. If so, then the cavities will get bigger until you teeth break off or you get pain and swelling. Sorry, we don't have a magic wand. 1. Don't get cavities. 2. If you get cavities, the smaller the cavity (filling), the better.