~ ulp ~

I just broke off about half of a molar -- and accidentally swallowed it.

And from the slight irritation I'm feeling at the site of my gastric band (you may recall I had that surgery), I think the tooth might be stuck there.

So that's Issue One: a sharp, non-digestible object in my digestive tract. Great! All I can do is hope it moves on of its own accord... and doesn't cause any trouble along the way.

Issue Two: I can't afford to go to a dentist! But obviously, I have to. It's going to require a crown, I'm sure. I'll call in the morning and see if I can get it fixed by students at a dental school at a big discount. Otherwise, we'll have to take out a loan to handle it.

I guess I just wanted to gripe a little. Thanks for listening.

Lots of vibes that the tooth passes on it's own!

So far as your tooth needing a crown, that may not be the case. I broke a molar about 6 weeks ago and thought I would need a crown. But the dentist said it was a clean break and that a filling would be enough. I'll keep my fingers crossed that this is the same for your situation too!

Wow, vibes for you! Doesn't sound like much fun. Hope you feel better!

Sending you cheap fix & pass through smoothly .

I have a slightly damaged front tooth that I refuse to get fixed....it'll cost me $2,000!!

Carol, it seems like when it rains, it pours for you. So, you need to move to CA where we have a drought and lots of fires. You bring the rain, put out the fires, water those petunias, and I guarantee that there are a few dentists here who are golf lovers who would gladly fix anything wrong in your mouth. For free.
Laughter is a vibe in itself.

Oh Carol! I really HATE tooth problems. I had to have one pulled - and then couldn't afford to have the post put in. We waited a year - and my gums grew back up a little bit around the other teeth, so they had to be "shaved" - and now it just causes endless problems. I should have just never had the post put in. I believe it's called 20-20 hindsight.

I really hope you're not in any pain, and this all gets resolved without too much hurt - to you physically or to your pocketbook!



Laurie

I have broken teeth also that i can not get fixed because no insurance. One the filling came out and about a year ago. There is less then half the tooth left now. I broke like 4 already because my Meds wrecked my teeth. i hope yours can digest and you wont need a Dr.

Eek! That doesn't sound too fun. Hope you can work things out okay.

Ouch! Thats terrible..two bodily problems all because of one stinkin tooth!

I hope it all works out cheap and cheerful

EEEP, that no problems come out of this.

I hope all turns out well!

eeekkk everything is a quick cheap fix for you! that really sucks

Thanks, guys... after doing some research, I've become convinced that the tooth probably can't be saved. Which is good, in a way -- it's a lot cheaper to pull it than to fix it. And maybe someday I'll be able to afford to have an implant to replace it.

The college of dentistry only takes new-patient applications on Wednesdays, so that's my mission for tomorrow. Sure hope they accept me!

Wishing you the best, Honey. I've got 5 that need to come out and dentures to be made *sigh* So, I'm right there with ya!!

Just sending I am sorry this happened, best wishes for tomorrow.

Oh no! that you get in at the dental school and that you get the best in the class to work on you

Thank you all for your good wishes! I just spent almost two hours in constant redial mode, trying to get through during the 90-minute window during which they accept application calls. I did get it to ring once, and I held on for dear life for two or three minutes -- but then blasted T-Mobile disconnected me!

So I've gone to Plan B: the dentist who took care of my father is working me in tomorrow morning, and if pulling is what it needs, it shall be done. Extraction costs only about a tenth the price of a crown, and we can handle that in three payments.

I sure hope the price they quoted included plenty of nitrous oxide!

Oh wow, Carol, I've just found this post! I sincerely hope that you'll be able to get everything taken care of reasonably.

I have just the worst time with my teeth...bad genes, my mother has soft teeth, just like mine. I had a root canal, with a crown done, maybe 6 years ago, that never, ever quit hurting. The endodontist blew me off for months, until I finally decided that I was going to have to live with the pain. Two years ago, I finally saw an oral surgeon about it, and had an apicoectomy done (IV sedation) where they go into the jaw and drill off the root of the tooth, and pack the hole with a bone graft. For the first time in years, I was pain free....it was amazing!!! Then, a year later, I got an abcess in the bone graft and ended up having the tooth pulled. I don't even want to think about how much stinkin' money I poured into trying to save that darn tooth, only to lose it in the end anyway.

If you're anything like me, just go for the extraction, and save yourself literally thousands of dollars (and I have decent dental insurance, too!) and a lot of time and discomfort.

Good luck tomorrow! I'll be thinking of you, and praying that everything goes well for you.