I broke a piece off a back tooth...?

it doesn't hurt and isn't bothering me. i had a crown put on a tooth close to the front of my mouth about 6 months ago so i can't afford another one. since it's almost all the way in the back i'm probably going to have it pulled. i've had just about every dental procedure there is and having a tooth pulled hurts more than anything else i've ever had done. but it's the cheapest option, based on past experience.





i guess my question is this: since i have a dental cleaning in a couple of weeks, can i just wait for the dentist to take a look at it then? and will rinsing with listerine once or twice a day help prevent any infection that might happen by waiting? Even if i called to make an appointment tomorrow i probably wouldn't be able to get in in the next 2 weeks anyway, short of it being an emergency, which it's not. Thanks for any help you can give me! : )





cheers,


Shauna!

I broke a piece off a back tooth...?
Hmmm, now is it a wisdom tooth? Because then, most likely it would have had to be pulled anyways. It may not hurt now, but it might start to bother you soon! I would call the dentist, and just tell them it is an emergency (I think any broken tooth is an emergency) and see if they can take you asap. I know its expensive (I have had alot of work done to) but in the long run, it's your health, and you'll be happy you did it. If the dentist cannot take you right away tomorrow, I would ask him advice on how to care for the tooth so it won't get infected, until you can get it fixed.





I wish you the best of luck!
Reply:A broken tooth is an emergency so call tomorrow and request and emergency appointment just to get it looked at .
Reply:If it doesn't hurt I would wait until your appointment. Keep your teeth clean and take care of it until you can get it looked at. It might be cheaper to pull it than to repair the chipped area. I had a molar pulled and it didn't hurt. But it sucks having your head yanked on. It was a bugger to pull out. Darn pressure.
Reply:Since Listerine is a germ killing thing, I'm sure it will help prevent any infections, Sorry to hear about your tooth though =\ Yeah since your next appointment is so close I'd say just wait for that one. Good luck =D
Reply:I just came back from the dentist today I broke a tooth 6 months ago and it is a tooth that I am having removed. The dentist has told me that we would leave it untill my other dental work is done then we would look at taking it out as long as it is not bothering me. I have also had teeth crack before and had to wait to get them fixed. I have a enamal problem so my teeth are very brittle. It isn't alway best to leave them but you sometimes have to in certain situations. Appointments are hard to get with a good dentist.