"I Thought the Filling Would End My Toothache"

In the spring of 2025, 36-year-old Michael R., an accountant from Denver, Colorado, scheduled a dental appointment after experiencing occasional sensitivity when drinking iced coffee. His dentist diagnosed a small cavity on his upper right first molar. The decay had not reached the nerve, so a simple composite filling was recommended.

The procedure lasted less than an hour. Michael was relieved when the dentist explained that the cavity had been removed successfully and the tooth was restored.