What the heck? My tooth broke/cracked.

[CountryWolf07]

Great, I have to go to the dentist this afternoon to see what they can do about my broken/cracked tooth. I was eating a fiber granola bar!! It was just enough to BREAK my tooth in half. Thankfully, no pain, so I think it is just a dead tooth. I dislike dentists, and having to wait, and see what they will do. I am betting, I will get a new tooth in a couple days, if not today. Booo! Oh my gosh, I've had those dreams where my tooth or teeth would BREAK! And it actually did. :eek:

[Catty1]

If it's dead, the root canal will be painless! They'll have to drill in, and fill it with stuff to put a cap on it.

I hope you have some kind of dental insurance???

I hope they can fix it without the RC - but if the tooth is dead, they may want to put on a cap to strengthen it, or it will just keep on breaking.

HUGS and good luck!

[Pinot's Mom]

Been there too many times to count! I have inherited terrible teeth, and I'm usually eating something like a piece of CHEESE when it happens. I can truly sympathize. I'm sorry.


Treatment will depend on the depth of the break and general condition. Just wait for the dentist's word; no point in speculating the worst. Good luck!

[CountryWolf07]

I will find out in an hour or so to see what will happen. I still have the other half of the tooth but, it's just 1/2 cracked. You can see the 'stuff' inside. It is definitely dead. I did not feel anything when it cracked. Thank goodness. Well, if they are gonna drill, I'm sorry, but I NEED them to give me Novocaine! JUST IN CASE! And UNFORTUNATELY, I don't have some kind of insurance, but what can I do? I need to get it fixed. I am just worried about the outcome and how much it will cost me. *sigh* Crazy!

[lvpets2002]

:) Oh same here.. I have had my share of dental work done too.. Hey I too have had bad teeth breaking dreams too.. Glad to know its not just me with those dreams.. Good Luck at the Dentist.. If your mouth dont hurt when the dentist is done = I will for sure know the pocket book will be hurting..

[Cataholic]

I wonder, if you put 1/2 of a tooth under your pillow, does the tooth fairy still give you something? :)

[CountryWolf07]

I wonder, if you put 1/2 of a tooth under your pillow, does the tooth fairy still give you something? :)


Haha I would do that except I kind of swallowed it along with the food not knowing. :/

[carole]

oh dear been there done that, except i was ripping open a museli bar with my teeth , a real no no, never again, and i chipped the very front of my tooth, i now have a false bit there, and i used to have perfect front teeth, this is the two top ones,now they just don't look quite the same, also have one down the side that broke off again recently, trouble with these is they are an ongoing expense the false ones only last a short time unless you can afford crowns, which are way out of my price range,honestly i am as scared of dentists as you, but if the tooth is dead you won't need your pain relief, it will hurt more getting that done than fixing the tooth, but your dentist will advise you.

Luckily for me the one i broke with ripping the m bar open is covered by our ACC here which is accident compensation,it is considered an an accident and they cover at least some of the bill forever, unless they change that, which is possible, but if you do it eating, it is not covered as that is normal part of life and not considered an accident.

Good luck with it all, and i feel for you really i do, your mouth and your pocket, take care.

[CountryWolf07]

The price estimation scared me more than getting it done. My estimated is almost $2,500. SHOOT ME! :eek: So I just have to consider my options here somehow, see what I should do about it. The only good thing is that I am not in any pain at all - The dentist tested to see if I was in pain, by tapping on my tooth that was cracked, so no pain was shown. I guess I should be OK until whatever happens next.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

can they just pull the rest of it and be done with it, or is it in a noticeable location?

Teeth are funny things sometimes. I had a wisdom tooth that nearly decayed in half. Never even knew til I had something stuck in the corner of my mouth and tried to dig it out with my finger. Then I was like "what's this sharp ridge back here?"

[carole]

what on earth is the dentist going to do for that kind of money, i nearly fainted when i read the amount, is this going to be a crown, because that is what they charge here for that too, i just had false bits put on and it only cost me $140.they last a few years as well.

I would get a second and even third opinion, i went to a dentist who was going to fill a tooth that did not even need it, just because i complained of tooth pain, that was like three years ago,been to two different dentists since and neither have suggested it needed doing, she also replaced my broken tooth at a cost of $190, and this time is was only the 140, it sure pays to shop around, i now have a dentist that i am comfortable with, she explains everything as she goes along, does not do anything unless it is absolutely necessary and does not overcharge, good luck with it all.

Oh and i would not have it pulled, preserve your teeth as best you can, i have had teeth pulled where they cannot be seen, and it was many many years ago,and i could not afford a bridge put in and it hurts in the gums still ,so don't go down that avenue if you can help it.

[Catty1]

My guess is that they want to do a crown.

That IS a lot of money...is that the usual price for things like that? What would Mike's dentist charge?

[CountryWolf07]

I honestly thought it was a bit too MUCH.... I mean, $2,500....? That included the x-ray's, etc. etc... just the crown, about what, $1,111... I mean, really? I had a heart attack after I saw the final amount that was shown as the final estimate.... That'd literally wipe out my savings acct. I am looking around to see what I can find.

[Queen of Poop]

That's about what it cost for each of my root canals and crowns. I have 2 of them. :eek:

[Asiel]

Great, I have to go to the dentist this afternoon to see what they can do about my broken/cracked tooth. I was eating a fiber granola bar!! It was just enough to BREAK my tooth in half. Thankfully, no pain, so I think it is just a dead tooth. I dislike dentists, and having to wait, and see what they will do. I am betting, I will get a new tooth in a couple days, if not today. Booo! Oh my gosh, I've had those dreams where my tooth or teeth would BREAK! And it actually did. :eek:

Must be something going around. I just broke my last molar last week and had to get it repaired. The dentist drilled out the old mercury filling, made another piece of tooth to replace the piece I had broken and refilled it with the new material they use today. He did a great job and my tooth feels great. I had just finished supper when the piece broke , I must have swallowed it because I was sucking on a mint and didn't even notice when it broke.

[Catty1]

Hey, check this out! http://dental.case.edu/patients/

And they do crowns! http://dental.case.edu/patients/aegd.html

[CountryWolf07]

Hey, check this out! http://dental.case.edu/patients/

And they do crowns! http://dental.case.edu/patients/aegd.html

Thank you!!! :)

[Marigold2]

I am so sorry. I do however have the best dentist in the world, he is in Parma if you want to know his name, pm me.

[carole]

Like i said you don't have to go the crown way, it probably is best in the long run though,as you have to keep getting it done every few years, but it is a lot of money to find straight up, that is why i always went for the way cheaper option, again good luck and i hope you find a good dentist who will work within your budget.

[Catty1]

I sent her links to a dental school that is right in Cleveland! :D Hopefully that will save a few bucks - and the students are totally supervised!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I hope that everything will go well. I work at a dental lab where we make crowns and I know only too well that crowns are very expensive. We used to have great dental insurance but now we either have to get it on our own or use Aflack which is also expensive and it doesn't cover very much. Luckily I don't have any crowns in my mouth yet but if I ever needed any the lab fee would be free for me since I'm an employee. The big expense is to the dentist though. We also do work for a few dental schools and I've heard that they do offer lower prices. Good luck.:)

[king2005]

Which tooth did you break?

If its a tooth in the back, just get it pulled out..
I plan to have 2 molars pulled, & 1 wisdom tooth will have to be removed surgically (scared of that one!).

Its FAR FAR FAR cheaper & you can honestly live without it. If you want a tooth later, then you can save up for it & get a spiffy new one... I plan to just go toothless (back teeth only) & get dentures when I loose too many teeth. I have a HORRID family history of bad teeth/gums so its a total waste of money to get a root canal or something else fancy, as they teeth will just fall out, crack, or rot away all on their own & nothing can stop it.. so why waste money on it?

If its a front tooth, get it fixed, but maybe you can hold off & get time to save up for it, or get put on a monthly payment plan.

[Cataholic]

Did you tell us what tooth it was?

I am in full agreement with King. If it is a back tooth, I would get it pulled. I had a back molar get a RC, and it was supposed to get a crown. The cost blew me away, and this was after I had the RC done. I SHOULD have been told by my long time dentist all of my options. Including pulling. So, I have a temporary filling in there- still- for 2 years now. The last time I went to my NEW dentist, he told me it was loose and I would need to have it re-done in the near future. I will have another filling done, and go from there. Crowning a molar? Whatever for???

Anyhow- look into CARE credit. It covers dental.

[Anikaca77]

Wow I can't image that price. I'm glad you are not having any pain though in your tooth.

I've had 2 teeth pulled when I was around 22 or so because I didn't have any dental insurance and I couldn't afford a root canel.

I hope this works out for you.

Melissa

[CountryWolf07]

Hi all, well I do not plan having my tooth pulled at this time. I don't really want to go through it. I can't do anything about it right now, except save money, find a job, get insurance, and I'll get to it when I can. Right now, it's just a dead tooth that's cracked in half, thankfully not in any pain, so, I'll endure that for a while.

http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/library/parent_chart_eruption_permanent.gif

My tooth that is cracked is the lower first premolar (first bicuspid). I'm just glad it's not noticeable since it is on the bottom!

Thanks! :)

[pomtzu]

Unfortunately since it is already broken, it's likely that it will continue to have pieces break off if you don't get it fixed. Then you could end up having to have the roots dug out if it breaks down to the gum line. Been there - done that. No fun! :(

[kokopup]

The Dental school referred to in a previous post may be different but I have to have my dental work done at the UAB school of dentistry. I have found the rates are no cheaper than at a regular dentist. In fact my old dentist was a school friend and I got much better rates there. I have to go to UAB because I have had Radiation to the mouth area and special care has to be given in how my dental work is done. I require a cleaning and checkup every 3 month. I have to pay because when I turned 65 my company dental insurance stopped. I hope this school is different than UAB on pricing.

[Lilith Cherry]

I just got new upper and lower partial dentures and five repaired teeth (one cap at the very front) plus nine extractions ; here in China it only cost me $675US for the whole lot!! The dentist was very gentle and careful which is good because I was:o terrified!

Not all dentists here are so good though ... a couple of years ago one made me a partial denture and put it in over several decayed and broken teeth:eek: I am still getting used to these new ones so don't feel too comfortable yet but all in all it wasnt as horrifying as I expected.

About fifteen years ago when I first came to China I saw "dentists" in the park using drills powered by bicycles to fix people's teeth and no anaesthetic either:eek: NO THANKS!!

I hope you can get at least a tempory fix for now until the tooth can be repaired properly.

[pomtzu]

If you can find a dentist that has a dental lab on the premises, you can save a whole lot of money, since the work doesn't have to be sent out to another lab to be done. I go to a dentist in Md that has it's own lab and technicians, and all the work is done there without a third party lab being involved. It's a 2 hour drive from here, but it's worth it, considering that these local dentists charge an arm and a leg for crowns, partials or full dentures.

[Anikaca77]

About fifteen years ago when I first came to China I saw "dentists" in the park using drills powered by bicycles to fix people's teeth and no anaesthetic either:eek: NO THANKS!!

If I would have seen that I would have ran away screaming. Oh my goodness. Well I'm glad you had a nice dentist, that's the most important thing I think to find is a caring dentist and gentle one.