The dentist says I have 8 cavities

[THELAD]

hello,

I haven't been to the dentist in 10 years so I decided to get my teeth checked (I have no pain at all). my oral hygiene is okay, I brush the teeth twice a day and recently started flossing everyday also. I don't drink soda or consume plenty of sugar.

I've visited two dentists in order to get two opinions, the result is: one of them says I have "only" two cavities and the other one says I have eight cavities.

here are the teeth (X-RAY): (one of them says I have cavities in each one of them)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BrZeHy-FtjuRuD98wl33n0NONwbDfIJH/view


also, I had a root canal in tooth #26 18 years ago when I was 11 with an amalgam filling. the tooth hasn't been crowned yet. the tooth is fine, I have no symptoms at all, but both dentists say it has signs of inflammation. one of them says it has to be redone and then crowned and one of them says I can get the tooth crowned without performing a retreatment.


Your wise opnion will be highly appreciated!

 

[MattKW]

1. Those are not the appropriate X-rays to look for decay. You need to have perpendicular bite-wings of upper and lower teeth. You are displaying periapical films which tilt the image and are used for looking at root tips.
2. The 26 has a very poor Root Canal Therapy (RCT) and you are just very lucky you're not having any pain. At the minimum, the RCT needs to be redone, preferably by an endodontist, or extracted. Anyone who puts a crown on that in its current state is crazy.

 

[THELAD]

thanks for your quick reply.

these are the X-rays both of the dentists used in order to diagnose cavities in my teeth, very strange. no one of them told me to get another kind of x-ray.

In relation to tooth #26, since I'm a young man I prefer not to get the tooth extracted and do everything I can in order to keep it. I will stop seeing the dentist who told me it's okay to crown it. what are the chances of a successful retreatment of this tooth and how long should I wait before crowing the tooth after the treatment? I'm very afraid of getting the tooth broken during the Root canal operation and having to get a dental implant already at the age of 29. :-(

 

[MattKW]

Here's an example of bitewings attached. They are straight-on to the side of teeth.
I don't know your chances for success with the 26. An endodontist is your best hope.

 

[THELAD]

Thank you very much!