Tooth question

Last Friday I was eating a sandwich for lunch and bit on something really hard--a stone or piece of bone or something.   It felt like I'd driven an upper right tooth clear into my cranium.  I'd thought sure I cracked it.  Went to the dentist that afternoon but the x-ray showed no cracks.  He thought that I bruised the tissue around the root.  I told him I'd let it ride for the weekend and get back to him if there was a problem.   It felt better on Saturday but was actually worse today.  I'm chewing on the left side of my mouth and anything cold hurts the tooth in question like crazy.  I've been taking OTC stuff for the pain but it's a constant throbbing I can barely keep on top of.  

Any suggestions or am I just going to have to tough it out?

Dentist is probably right.

I have a few cracked teeth, and one broken one, and never noticed any pain from it (aside from cutting my tongue on the broken one after it first broke, every single berking time I touched it).  The nerves are deep down, and if you bruised the tissue around the root, it's going to get a little inflamed as it heals and that's gonna throb.

Hold a shot of whiskey on it to dull the pain. Orajel works sometimes but booze is more fun!

Ibuprofin for the pain.

Any swelling associated could be infection, antibiotics then.

I just went through this two weeks ago.

It's not real possible to fracture the tooth, yet not have it show on the radiograph because it wasn't displaced yet.

So, probably not broken. Good luck.

BTW, I shattered a crown last week. Waiting to get it replaced. Very lucky, not painful.

rustybugkiller said:

Hold a shot of whiskey on it to dull the pain. Orajel works sometimes but booze is more fun!

 

This ^

I broke a tooth on a motorcycle trip a few years ago and I was so glad to have a bottle of scotch with me.

Sinuses?

Most dentists have an answering service - call tonight and tell them you need to get in first thing in the morning. 

If you can't wait, go to the ER.

If you think the problem is outside what the doc thinks is going on, always call with an emergency. I think your doctors right, and you're gonna tough it out anyway, but you can always call.

Wild turkey comes in 50.5% ABV and a glass will numb the gums without many other issues. As my teeth continually fall apart, I usually just go to that.

FWIW you will probably get better answers on a Harley Davidson forum.

Sorry for the sarcastic response tooth pain really sucks.

X-rays rarely show a cracked tooth unless it's literally split.  I have a battery of tests that I do, including having you bite down on a hard plastic stick.  If it hurts not when you bite down but release, then the tooth is cracked.

Teeth are held in place with ligaments and it is possible to "bruise" them, if that happens, you should be taking 600-800mg of Ibuprofen 3 times a day for at least 3 days.  Avoid chewing gum and anything hard.  If it doesn't improve, then you need to go back and see a dentist and minimally end up with a crown.

Another vote for alcohol.

docwyte said:

X-rays rarely show a cracked tooth unless it's literally split.  I have a battery of tests that I do, including having you bite down on a hard plastic stick.  If it hurts not when you bite down but release, then the tooth is cracked.

Teeth are held in place with ligaments and it is possible to "bruise" them, if that happens, you should be taking 600-800mg of Ibuprofen 3 times a day for at least 3 days.  Avoid chewing gum and anything hard.  If it doesn't improve, then you need to go back and see a dentist and minimally end up with a crown.

That's been the current plan.  Seems to be improving, but still "bites".  :)

EDIT:  Nachos = Bad Idea

Spam

Well, I finally got tired of the thing not feeling right.   I could detect a very sharp edge on the face of it with my fingernail so I went back to the dentist and it turns out the tooth is cracked basically in half.   Now I've got to have it surgically removed and have an implant put in.   Time to get some dental insurance...  :(

Dental insurance generally has a 1 year waiting period for what they consider to be "major" work.  Implants, crowns, bridges etc are "major" work.

You can have the tooth removed and the bone graft placed now and pay out of pocket, then wait a year to have the implant placed and restored and at that point insurance will pay.

Remember that dental insurance is a defined benefit plan, so they'll only pay up to the maximum allowed in a year, which is usually $1500.  You'll be out of pocket for the rest.  Based on the fact that you have to pay them for a year before you get any benefit, its probably not even worth pursueing it. 

Just pay for it out of pocket.

In reply to docwyte :

And the dentist should be willing to set up a payment plan. That type of work isn't cheap. I have an aunt with horrible teeth. She must be on her third or fourth implant currently. Good luck!

In reply to clutchsmoke :

No!  We're not banks.  If you don't have the credit necessary to do a payment plan on your own, why should we take the risk on you?  I've lost thousands of dollars doing this in the past, NEVER AGAIN.

I do offer third party financing (Care Credit) that will give you 0% financing for a year.  If you don't qualify for that there's NO way I should be offering you credit.

In reply to docwyte :

I've been offered payment plans at the dentist as recently as this year, not through Care Credit. I just paid for it up front, but apparently some dentists still offer plans.

I see a figure skate, and a large rock in your future. Do you have a volleyball handy?

Mazdax605 said:

I see a figure skate, and a large rock in your future. Do you have a volleyball handy?

Is that supposed to make sense?

Floating Doc said:

Mazdax605 said:

I see a figure skate, and a large rock in your future. Do you have a volleyball handy?

Is that supposed to make sense?

It’s a joke. Scene is from the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks

Sine_Qua_Non said:

Floating Doc said:

Mazdax605 said:

I see a figure skate, and a large rock in your future. Do you have a volleyball handy?

Is that supposed to make sense?

It’s a joke. Scene is from the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks

I'm familiar with the movie, but not with the cultural reference. 

I agree with docwyte, small businesses often get burned when they do unsecured loans. The veterinary practice I bought had $42,000 in the accounts receivable. Not a penny of it was collectible.

Floating Doc said:

Sine_Qua_Non said:

Floating Doc said:

Mazdax605 said:

I see a figure skate, and a large rock in your future. Do you have a volleyball handy?

Is that supposed to make sense?

It’s a joke. Scene is from the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks

I'm familiar with the movie, but not with the cultural reference. 

I agree with docwyte, small businesses often get burned when they do unsecured loans. The veterinary practice I bought had $42,000 in the accounts receivable. Not a penny of it was collectible.

You don't get the cultural reference of a movie scene where a guy knocks out his own tooth with a figure skate and a rock on a thread about a guy with a tooth problem and no insurance? You must be a fun guy at a party. It was a joke and a few people got it. It seems maybe I'm not very funny. It's okay, thankfully I don't rely on laughs to make money. 

docwyte said:

In reply to clutchsmoke :

No!  We're not banks.  If you don't have the credit necessary to do a payment plan on your own, why should we take the risk on you?  I've lost thousands of dollars doing this in the past, NEVER AGAIN.

I do offer third party financing (Care Credit) that will give you 0% financing for a year.  If you don't qualify for that there's NO way I should be offering you credit.

My mistake. The last time I had an expensive dental procedure was several years back and I was on some pretty nice drugs.