Has anyone ever broken a tooth?

MoochNNoodles

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I broke off part of a molar today and I don't go to see the dentist till Monday. It's on the side of my mouth, on the outside side. It broke off next to a filling. It's like the pointy part down. I think it cracked last night when I was eating some ground beef. (You know how every now and then you get a piece of something hard in there?) It didn't feel good but it didn't hurt and I never noticed anything. Then this morning I was eating my breakfast at work and the same thing happened. I didn't notice that I was missing a bit of tooth till a few minutes later.

It doesn't hurt, just feels a little odd having a rougher part rub against my cheek. Can anyone tell me what to expect at the dentist? Or what I should do in the meantime? (Besides stick to soft foods and chewing on the other side.)

My co-worker broke a tooth recently and they haven't fixed it yet, just done x-rays because her's is a different kind of break. I'm hoping it can get fixed ASAP ya know?
 

mews2much

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I have Broken Teeth but have no Insurance. The Pain gets real bad sometimes too. The Dr said the Meds I take caused it to happen. I hope you do not get the pain.
 

calico2222

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I broke off a wisdom tooth years ago that grew sideways out of my gum. It didn't hurt but that was because (thankfully!) the nerve was already dead (it was impacted for a few years before actually breaking the gum). The edge left was so sharp and so far back it actually cut a track in the back of my cheek before I could get in to see the dentist. He basically just filed it off with a tool that looked like a miniature sander and told me I had to have it cut out. I didn't have good insurance at that time and let the rest of it come out over time. Gross, I know!

Depending on how healthy the tooth is (and your insurance), they may just sand it off and let it go, try to save it and cap it, or pull it. If it isn't hurting that much, I would guess the root either isn't exposed or may already be dead.

If it is hurting you by scraping against your cheek, get some ambosol to numb the inside of your cheek. It feels strange, but it does help. DEFINITELY chew on the other side because you don't need it breaking off more if the nerve is still alive. Also, be careful drinking or eating really cold things. It may not hurt now, but if cold gets into that nerve you WILL be in agony and very quickly!

Good luck hon! Let us know what the dentist decides.
 

cheylink

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I have also experienced this, it sucks! I have chipped a tooth, not as bad but a cosmetic and future issue. Also once when I was at work eating a soft pretzel, suddenly noticed half a upper bicuspid was suddenly missing! I freaked out that I was going to be in pain, but made it to the dentist the next day. Still have a temporary filling in the tooth, and they removed the nerves but its not savable for a root canal since the edge is below the gum line. I am cursed with weak enamel, have had problems all my life!
 

buzbyjlc10

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This JUST happened to my mom! Same thing, the tooth broke near a filling... she went into the dentist and he cleaned out the old filling and put in a temporary one and she's going for a crown at the end of the month... in the meantime for the owie part sticking out, get some wax to put on it! Wax saved my life when I had the old bracket braces - you should be able to find it in the drug store (might have to ask where it is), if not call your dentist and ask if they have some or can tell you where to get some... my orthodontist used to just give it to me... you just break off a piece and kind of roll it in your hand to soften it a little then you just stick it to the tooth that hurts to protect your cheek... you'll have to take it out and replace it to brush and be careful eating, but it sticks in place for the most part
 

mbjerkness

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I also just broke a tooth about a week ago, it doesn't hurt. and not sharp. The dentist is going to put a crown on it in a few weeks. I had one before, that was sharp. the dentist ground down the sharp part, and put in a temporary filling. that was 6 years ago. I still haven't had it crowned
 

lillekat

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If it's a molar and depending on how much of it is broken off, it really can't be saved and he'll probably pull it out. If there is something he can do, it'll most likely be a crown.... I had the same problem with my two wisdom teeth - once a part of the tooth is broken off, it will only continue to get worse - how fast or slow that is doesn't really matter. I can tell you now that walking around with bits of your tooth missing can get hideously painful and they're very prone to infections - so get it seen to sooner rather than later and you can save yourself the pain that I had to go through.
 

strange_wings

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I broke off part of a bottom molar years ago - just one corner of it. There wasn't any pain so it must not have been too bad but it did cut my tongue since it was on the inside. All the dentist did was put a filling over it. 6 years later it's still there with no problems, though there's a starting of a tiny cavity on the other corner of that same tooth. Stupid ANS issues...

I've also chipped a front tooth on a piece of gristle in a burger back in grade school. It wasn't that bad and the tooth eventually smoothed out on it's own.
 

jellybella

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I did exactly the same thing you did...something hard (bone?) in the hamburger meat knocked the cusp off of a molar that was previously filled. It was really sharp, but didn't hurt and a day or two later I went to the dentist.

There really wasn't much left on that side of the tooth (because of the way it was originally filled) so I ended up leaving with a temp crown and getting a permanent crown a month or so later (luckily I have dental insurance--it was expensive even with insurance!).
 

AbbysMom

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I had a part of a tooth break off and it was one that already had a filling in it. They ended up doing a root canal.
 

sweets

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It doesn't hurt, just feels a little odd having a rougher part rub against my cheek. Can anyone tell me what to expect at the dentist? Or what I should do in the meantime? (Besides stick to soft foods and chewing on the other side.)
Expect to pay a lot of money. I've broken 2 molars...my teeth have more silver in them than a mine! Each time I got a temp crown with the new crown in about a week. Even with insurance, they were about $500.00.

Meanwhile see your pharmacist. There are waxes you can purchase to cover the broken part so it won't irritate your cheek. Don't numb it. You may cut yourself and not know it.
 

jaffacake

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Oh, I hope you get it fixed soon!


Don`t do what I did and leave it because it`s not hurting. A few years later I ended up paying a fortune and spending ages at the dentist having a root filling


Now it keeps breaking and if I`d had it seen to straight away it wouldn`t have been so bad.

Good luck!
 
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MoochNNoodles

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It still actually doesn't hurt at all and my cheek and gum look fine. I've been sitting here looking at it in my light up mirror and it looks like the break stops about 3mm above the gum line. I kind of compared it to the tooth on the other side (also has a filling) and it looks like I maybe lost a bit about the size of half to 3/4 of a small sunflower seed. Can't think of what else to compare it to.
 

cheshirecat

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Breaking a molar was what finally made me look for a new dentist here in town.

I ended up with a crown on that one (no root canal) and the one next to it. That one was not good and crowning it was a way to keep it from getting worse.

Even with insurance they were expensive but I am paranoid about loosing teeth.

Also, this new dentist has a high tech computerized system that will make a crown in about 45 minutes. This way you can be in and out in just over an hour. Sometimes I think she pushes it too much. But so far I have been happy with the results.

The old fashioned way might be better and last longer but I just don't have the patience to make two or three trips to the dentist and live with a temporary for weeks until it's done.

for a painless and easy fix
 

lsanders

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Originally Posted by CheshireCat

Breaking a molar was what finally made me look for a new dentist here in town.

I ended up with a crown on that one (no root canal) and the one next to it. That one was not good and crowning it was a way to keep it from getting worse.

Even with insurance they were expensive but I am paranoid about loosing teeth.

Also, this new dentist has a high tech computerized system that will make a crown in about 45 minutes. This way you can be in and out in just over an hour. Sometimes I think she pushes it too much. But so far I have been happy with the results.

The old fashioned way might be better and last longer but I just don't have the patience to make two or three trips to the dentist and live with a temporary for weeks until it's done.

for a painless and easy fix
Yep, that's a CEREC. I work in a dental office and we have one too. Does your dentist charge more for one of those over a traditional crown?

Dental problems only get more expensive the longer you wait. What was a $150-$300 cavity can become a $1200 crown and what was a $1200 crown can become a $5000+ implant that requires an oral surgeon and your dentist.

If money's an issue (it is for everyone these days!), see if your dentist can work out a payment plan or ask about sliding scale clinics or dental schools in the area. Good luck to everyone with ouchy teeth!
 

abbycats

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I had a broken molar that they wanted to do a root canal on and I didn't do it and eventually lost the tooth. I hate dentists. I had a dentist that was really bad and cost me 2 good teeth doing a bridge. I don't have dental insurance anymore so I have to live with any ouchys. Right now I have 2 cracked teeth from grinding my jaw in my sleep. I am worried they will start acting up real soon.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by abbycats

I had a broken molar that they wanted to do a root canal on and I didn't do it and eventually lost the tooth. I hate dentists. I had a dentist that was really bad and cost me 2 good teeth doing a bridge. I don't have dental insurance anymore so I have to live with any ouchys. Right now I have 2 cracked teeth from grinding my jaw in my sleep. I am worried they will start acting up real soon.
I wouldn't say I hate them - you have to know a person or have some experience with them on an individual basis to form that strong of emotion, but I certainly don't trust them.
My issues started a couple years ago when one filled a very small cavity in the end of my front tooth. When he did the third shot of local he stabbed it in much too forcefully - it resulted in a swollen knot at the injection site, facial swelling, a bruise on the gum, and nerve pain that never went away. Fast forward, it got infected, I went to another dentist that said that it was just the front tooth and that a root canal would fix it - not. The infection is still there (luckily it isn't really really bad), antibiotics haven't worked, and I suspect I'm facing having that tooth pulled (what a waste of money that was), gum sliced open and jaw bone scraped just to get rid of it.... Can't afford that even with insurance.



You may be able to get a cheap mouth guard to help prevent more damage to your teeth while you sleep - though a lot of people can't stand them.
 

cheshirecat

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Originally Posted by lsanders

Yep, that's a CEREC. I work in a dental office and we have one too. Does your dentist charge more for one of those over a traditional crown?
I don't know if she does traditional crowns. Either way they are expensive. Fortunately I have insurance that pays for half of it.

I have one traditional crown. It took three visits to get it done. I do like the convenience of the CEREC and I like the results. But worry that they may not be as durable.
 
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