urgent dental question

[monarch64]

OMG I totally fell on my deck stairs last night and chipped my front tooth! I hate going to the dentist and I am so, so worried that they are going to have to cap it or something crazy! It''s not a huge chip, it''s like a little jagged looking thing but I can totally feel it with my tongue and you can see it when I smile (if you look). I did the same thing to the same tooth when I was a kid, practicing ice skating on wet cement (my parents'' back patio) on bare feet...that one was way tinier though and I never had to get it fixed. Anyone know what I might expect? I know if the dentist just filed my tooth down and polished it, that tooth would be a hair shorter (but they''re my front teeth!) than my other front tooth, and I cannot have that! Yes, I have dental insurance, but I''m worried that this might be considered cosmetic and it won''t be covered. Help!

 

[begin ing]

sorry about your tooth.

Best wishes

 

[moremoremore]

Monarch...only the dentist can answer your question. We can't. Don't be afraid. Just go.
That said, I too have a teeny teeny tiny tiny ity bity chip on my front tooth...we left it alone b/c it is soooo small...but I remember the dentist said it's not something he can just file and polish...I don't remember why.

 

[MelissaSue]

I have had teeth that were broken BAD and they just kind of filled it like a cavity. I would imagine they can do this for you.

 

[pebbles]

I broke my front tooth once when I was 12 years old riding my bike (fell face first onto the sidewalk! Ouch!) The dentist put bonding on it so it would be even with the tooth next to it. It only lasts 5 years at the max so I have to keep having it replaced every so often. Bonding stains easily so I don't drink coffee much, or if I do, it's with a straw. You also can't use those Crest Whitening Strips with bonding either. I will eventually get veneers but they are more expensive up front than the bonding.

ETA: Since my dentist also found a cavity in the same place where I broke my tooth, the insurance covered it. When I want the bonding replaced just because it starts to fade, then it's considered cosmetic and my insurance didn't cover it.

 

[monarch64]

OK, thank you all very much for responding and easing my fears...I just started going to the dentist after like 8 years of not going (I know!) Due to college, moving around a lot, I was never able to motivate myself enough to fine an actual dentist to see on a regular basis. Now that I have, I will definitely go to him this coming week...I just wen tthrough 2 separate hour and a half long appointments of flling my 5 cavities plus re-filling my 2 old metal fillings. That is why I have zero motivation now to go back and get messed with again! But in this case I know I absolutely have to...my jagged little problem is rubbing a hole in my upper lip, sorry if that sounds gross! I will fill you in on the end result, no gory details included!

 

[Mara]

monarch, i know what you mean about wanting to be done with the dentist for a while. they have slowly been replacing my old fillings too from childhood, and one of them from 2 years ago (aka not old and done by a colleague in his same office) had a bunch of decay under it, so the filling was done wrong or something went wrong and no one caught it til the dentist i have now (younger with newer technology), so he took it out, cleaned it and refilled it. well since then i have had nothing but problems. the tooth wall is very thin so they want me to get a crown and i was resisting to see if we could fix it with a large filling which he thought maybe would be okay since i had not had pain in that tooth at all originally, well then it got a crack between the filling and tooth and was very sensitive. i went in and had them see if they could file that down and fix it. didn''t work. so now i basically HAVE to get a crown which is at least another 2 visits, and i am SO not looking forward to it. oh and they are a 45 min drive away from me too. i wanted to wait until after thanksgiving so i could at least enjoy my holiday meal without too much irritation, the tooth is cold/heat sensitive and i can''t be chewing hard things like nuts on it. what a PITA. i am so mad that no one caught this problem with the decay for 2 years until now, the dentist was surprised as well and said there was alot of decay under the tooth hence why the nerve is all irriated and exposed now that he cleaned it, even if he filled it.

but it''s best to just get it done!! i am not looking fwd to going again and getting measured for the crown, getting the temp crown while the new one is made (my first crown) then going back in for the placement etc. i hope that takes care of the issue...if not i will seriously freak out!!! i am so DONE with the dentist, and don''t want to go back for the typical six months after this.

good luck with your fix, hopefully it''s just an easy one, nothing like a PITA crown!!

 

[petergunn]

I chipped my front tooth last year, yours sounds like the same kind of chip. I had two options......

#1 They could put a little bonding material on my tooth to fill in the chip.
#2 They could fill down my tooth past the chip and do the same to the other so they match.

The dentist recommended option #1 because she said you don''t want to have your front teeth ground down if you have another option.
I agreed and went with option #1.
After the bonding was applied I was sent to a lab and they colored the bond on the spot to match the rest of my tooth.
It looks good as new.
I have insurance as well Washington Dental unfortunatly they would not cover it because they said it was caused by an accident.
P.S Whole procedure didn''t hurt at all !
Hope this helps
Petergunn

 

[monarch64]

Thanks again everyone...I''m working on getting an appointment this week to get this thing fixed. It''s just a small chip, but wouldn''t you know it''s a little jagged so it''s irritating the inside of my lip now! Boo! I''m a little less worried after hearing your responses now, except for yours Mara! Jeez Louise, you''ve been through dental Hell!!!

I do have insurance but I''m assuming it won''t cover this due to it being an accident. I think that''s BS though, I fell and broke my ankle 5 years ago, THAT was an accident and my health insurance covered it! So what''s the difference? I don''t get it. I did tell my husband that he would have to pay for it if out insurance didn''t cover it...why is it his fault, you ask? Because for the last year and a half I''ve been begging him to put lights on the steps I tripped and fell on because it''s so freakin dark there! Guesss what? The day after Thanksgiving, my dear husband ran out to Home Depot and finally got that light put up!

 

[Mara]

it's kind of funny because i have been in the dentists office so much recently that he has been kind of giving me a bit of dental education. he does alot with the camera and so he is always taking pictures of my teeth and then he can blow them up and find things that people's eyes will miss. that is how he caught the decay under that tooth. he also shows me things like cracks and what they can do to the tooth. when he cleans out the tooth, he takes a picture too. so it's pretty interesting (yet gross) to see the tooth all cleaned out, to see what decay looks like to them, to see where the nerve is.

it also sounds much like dentistry can be hit or miss, like much of western medicine. aka there's no reason that the tooth should bother me MORE now that it's been cleaned out and filled than when there was decay filling it, but he says sometimes people come in with decay filling all their teeth (obviously they have not been to the dentist in forever) and when he says they need like 6 fillings they are shocked and disbelieving because 'it never hurts'. whereas you would think something like decay and rot would hurt as it eats down into the nerve, but i guess that is not always the case. pretty creepy actually!! other people come in and say something hurts but they can't see anything. he had this happen to him, had a tooth filled and it was hurting like mine but 4 other dentists in the office couldn't see a thing wrong with it. finally someone saw a super tiny thin hairline crack that was running into the nerve, they filled it and he's been fine. but it took 5 dentists to find it!

he says this is why if a customer keeps saying something is hurting, there must be something wrong even if no one can see it.

he also told me what happens when decay gets down into a tooth under a filling...like any infection, it swells but the tooth is hard so it has nowhere to go. so it just eats away at the tooth and then DOWN into the nerve and into the JAW bone if it is not found and taken care of. really gross.

i can go on and on, he has shown me tons of pictures and pointed out things that are interesting or bad or good in people's mouths with this new camera technology. he says the next thing is lasers so that they won't have to use those horrible drills and things to do things like fill cavities or take care of teeth, they can use the lasers....which are almost silent. how sweet will that be. part of the horrible dentist visit is that high pitched scream of the tools as they drill down your teeth. it feels like it should be really painful even if they have your mouth all doped up. BLAH.

so anyway i made my appointment for this week where they 'prep' my tooth (read file it down, gross) and then put on a temp crown while the real one is out being made, which takes 2 weeks. so hopefully it will be all done and better by Xmas. i can't take it anymore! chewing on the right side of the mouth really sucks.

 

[monarch64]

There''s a picture of my new front tooth...what do you think?! Ha ha. I scored an appointment right after work today. He wanted to file down two millimeters at first but I was like, no way, someone (I didn''t say from my alternate life on pricescope, hee hee) told me their dentist said not to file unless you have to. So he bonded it and now it looks as good as new. Hopefully I won''t have problems with staining. I''m not a big coffee drinker, but I do have a cup now and then. Mara, it sounds like you''re an expert on teeth as well as diamonds now! It''s funny you say you''ve been in for tons of treatment lately, because I have been doing the same thing. I started going 3 months ago, first for a cleaning, then I ended up getting my five fillings and redoing two old ones all within 2 appointments (I just wanted to get it over with). Then this happened, and I''m sure more issues are on the way.

I''m 28 and never got braces as a kid although my front teeth are a little crooked. I inquired about Invisalign and was told I have a bit of a bite problem so they referred me to an actual orthodontist. Sheesh. God only knows what kind of nightmare that''s going to be. I was a tongue thruster as a kid and it caused me to have an "open bite," where my front teeth don''t quite meet. So today the dentist tells me about his college roommate, who apparently had a worse case than mine, but had to have his top jaw broken and wired for 6 weeks. Not to scare me, he said. Ha. Of course I''m not scared, now!

Anyway, before we have kids I''ve decided to get all this taken care of because I know that my needs will come second after we start a family! Thankfully there are so many new techniques and options out there as far as dental work and braces that things are a bit more comfortable now than 15 or 20 years ago. And thank goodness for the Internet so I can research what''s out there and have some kind of information before I sign on for any procedure. Also thank goodness for the PS community who is always so kind and willing to help out!

 

[monarch64]

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that my insurance did cover my "accident." FYI in case anyone else is as klutzy as me in the future!

Mara, good luck with your appointment next week!

 

[larussel03]

My dad''s a dentist and if you need work done around the holidays, dont put it off! He has so many patients that try and wait it out and end up calling during his vacation b/c their tooth hurts. Yes, emergencies are emergencies and he loves his patients and will go and help them, but it''s aggrivating when he warned them waiting was a bad idea. I understand it''s hard to find a dentist you can trust (I have friends who have gone to dentists and foudn out they needed a crown/root canal etc and then my dad did a quick xray on them and they had NOTHING AT ALL wrong with them) but mouth pain is the worst, so take care of it right away!

 

[MissGotRocks]

I know several people that have chipped their front teeth and the dentists were able to bond them - you could never see the chip. My dental insurance covers that sort of thing - aren''t all chipped or broken teeth ''accidents''? Not something that just happens without force being applied in some manner or another to the tooth.

I too had four large fillings that had to be replaced. The walls of the teeth were very thin but the dentist used a porcelain inlay rather than a crown. Still had to have impressions, etc. but I liked the idea of these inlays rather than crowns. They have lasted many years now and the good thing was that they got rid of all that ugly metal in my mouth - they are white and look just like regular teeth now! Anytime he now replaces a filling they are done with the white stuff - I think I only have one metal filling left. Kids today have the good fortune of sealants which greatly reduces the number of cavities. I think between my two kids they have only had two fillings. All of my molars were filled by the time I was like 15!

 

[Mara]

well i went in for my temp crown and they prepped my tooth for the crown, big OW and appt that took almost 2 hours...they took molds etc etc. this was last thurs...well my mouth was so upset over all the trauma that i got about 4 canker sores inside my cheek near the tooth and along the inside of my bottom lip. man do they hurt. i rarely get one ever and so having 4 at once is really very painful. oh and i think i bit my tongue during the appt or something because one whole side of it is really hurt like it''s cut as well. so who knows what the stupid tooth feels like now since the whole left side of my mouth hurts and stings. it''s been like this for a few days now so hopefully things are on their way to healing. the perm crown is going on the 15th but i am going to call to see if we can move it up a bit as i am not even using the left side of my mouth because im so paranoid about this temp crown coming off and that would be one more thing i don''t need to deal with. this is the first big work i guess i''ve ever had done besides the regular fillings, and i HATE HATE HATE dental work and having people tinkering in my mouth, ugh! just want to be done with this and not go back for a good 6 months!

greg and i were even joking about him yanking the tooth out in the garage at some point like a week ago, i was like i am just so absolutely done with this. i give multiple big fat raspberry tongues to the dentist...even if he is a cutie with a new orleans accent.

 

[monarch64]

Ha Ha Mara!!! "even if he is a cutie with a New Orleans accent." My dentist is pretty cute too, which makes things somehow a bit easier to deal with, hee hee.

Hope your mouth heals soon! I''m headed for an orthodontist consultation tonight to see if I need my jaw broken and wired! If I do, I am SO outta there!

 

[AndyRosse]

Mara, getting fit for a crown is definitely a bad experience for me too! Much worse (to me at least) than even getting a root canal!

For all your sores, I recommend buying that spray stuff that you are supposed to spray into the back of your throat for a sore throat (it comes in a spray bottle with either green or red spray). Spray it on the areas that hurt. Besides for numbing the pain now, it also makes everything heal much faster.

 

[monarch64]

Rascal, that sounds like a great idea (sore throat spray)!

FYI: I rescheduled my orthodontist appointment for Jan. 7th today, I totally chickened out by 2 p.m. today! I think I can face it next month, though. Maybe some mouth surgery will help with the winter weight gain and the usual New Year''s resolution to lose it!

 

[Mara]

thanks Rascal...I did get something new today that jorman highly recommended to me, called canker cover (LOL nice name huh!), so we'll try it tonite. she said that overnight it really makes them almost go away. i have high hopes!!! something's gotta work. the sore throat spray is a great idea too!

i also am trying to move my appt up for the perm a few days, anything will help. i am dying over here with having to only chew on the right side of my mouth. the positive is that i am eating less because eating is so tedious so it should help with all that thanksgiving stuffing i had.

hang in there monarch!! it will be over soon. i almost chickened out a few times with getting my tooth prepped, somehow i just knew it would suck, but man i had NO IDEA.

 

[monarch64]

Mara, a great home remedy, while it sounds disgusting but workd very well for canker sores, is cream of tartar (yes, the "spice") Make sure it is the powdered kind you would use for baking, not the "rocks" or crystallized version. Anyway, dab a small amount onto each sore, it will sting at first but then become numb. Basically good before going to bed at night, but still works, and has the tendency to dry them up. Hope this helps!

Also, did you read my post about possible jaw breaking surgery? That is why I''m putting off the orthodontist until Jan.! It is not an urgent situation, I would just like to have a perfect smile before we start a family, because I know I will be one of those mommies who sacrifices things for herself to make sure her kids have everything they need/want!!!

 

[Mara]

yikes jaw breaking surgery!!! that is definitely something i'd put off too. the only positive is that if they wire your jaw to have it heal, you lose like 10 lbs. HEE HEE! bonus.

well janna's miracle remedy didn't really work for me, but that's okay, because they are finally getting better. i'm using this numbing stuff greg got me and they feel much better today. NOW if i could just get the dentist to put the perm crown on faster, this eating on the right side thing is getting OLD. i feel like the right side of my jaw is all sore from chewing all my food. also it seems like my temp crown area gets more irritated after i eat, the gum part gets swollen towards the end of the day again where the temp crown butts up against it. my poor mouth! i'm such a whiner about pain too. they are trying to move the appt up a few days so it would be like mon or tues next week rather than thursday. i want as much time as possible before xmas to heal up!

oh and the funny part is that the crown is porcelain but it has gold on the inside of it, which the dentist said is stronger than just porcelain. no diamonds though!

 

[pebbles]

Date: 12/6/2005 1:17:32 AM
Author: monarch64
Mara, a great home remedy, while it sounds disgusting but workd very well for canker sores, is cream of tartar (yes, the ''spice'') Make sure it is the powdered kind you would use for baking, not the ''rocks'' or crystallized version. Anyway, dab a small amount onto each sore, it will sting at first but then become numb. Basically good before going to bed at night, but still works, and has the tendency to dry them up. Hope this helps!

Also, did you read my post about possible jaw breaking surgery? That is why I''m putting off the orthodontist until Jan.! It is not an urgent situation, I would just like to have a perfect smile before we start a family, because I know I will be one of those mommies who sacrifices things for herself to make sure her kids have everything they need/want!!!

Oh YUCK! My husband had that done! It was horrible! He had his mouth wired shut for 6 weeks. After the initial swelling had gone down, which took DAYS, he was only able to eat mushed up food and soft things like milkshakes and yogert. He said it was one of the most horrible experiences he ever had to go through! Would never recommend it! His jaw was also bruised for weeks too. Then he had the braces put back on!

OK, now that I have totally scared you, I don''t think they do that surgery as much as they used to.