Is it possible to have a cavity when there are no outward signs? There is no decay on my teeth anywhere. My previous dentist never indicated any problems with my teeth at my last check up. I’ve since moved and have a new dentist. This dentist is saying there is a cavity inside the tooth and I need to have a root canal treatment done. She also pressured me to schedule the appointment that day because it is a “dental emergency.” I find this odd given that there is no visible decay anywhere. I grew even more suspicious when the root canal specialist she referred me to had the same last name she did. It is not a very common last name and I feel there is some nepotism going on here at my (and my tooth’s) expense. Have you heard of a tooth needing a root canal treatment when there are no symptoms?
Callie
Dear Callie,
I am a bit suspicious of this as well and recommend a second opinion. Make sure it is a blind second opinion. By that I mean do not tell them who your dentist is or the diagnosis they gave you. Just have them look at the x-rays, which your dentist should provide for you, and give their opinion on the tooth.
In general, you would not have decay inside a tooth without it originating from the external part of the tooth. There is a rare condition called internal resorption where the pulp of the tooth begins to eat away at the tooth from the inside. Though we don’t know the cause, it is thought to be an inflammatory condition. This would mean you’d have some ache in the tooth, though. One other possibility is if you had some trauma to the tooth, but you didn’t indicate that either.
There are dental emergencies that require root canal treatments sooner rather than later, but when that happens, you would have some swelling, pain, and indications it has spread outside of the jaw for a dentist to pressure you to schedule the appointment right away.
Get that second opinion. By the way, even it if turns out, for some strange reason, that the tooth does need a root canal treatment, you are under no obligation to go to the specialist your dentist recommended.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.