As if going to the dentist didn't suck enough
June 11, 2010 8:00 AM Subscribe
I think my dentist may have cracked my tooth.
Yesterday I went and had a filling done. This morning I noticed (with my tongue) what feels like a crack running up the back of the tooth. It was not there before.
The dentist mentioned that this particular filling would be "easy" because it wasn't very deep, so I don't think it would have cracked just from being too weak to take the drilling or whatever.
When she was putting the filling in, she pushed some metal pieces in between that tooth and the one next to it, and after the filling set and she went to remove the metal, one of the pieces was stuck. It took her several tries of twisting and pulling the thing, and eventually she had to yank it out with hemostats. I suspect this may have been what cracked the tooth.
So now what do I do? I'm afraid it is going to need a crown now, which I can't really afford due to needing a bunch more dental work. I would have to pay 50% of a crown which would be several hundred dollars, and my insurance only covers $1000 a year.
If I go back in, how likely is it that she will take responsibility for this and fix it for free? I don't want to piss her off by suggesting that she caused it... for one thing I am hugely anxious about getting dental work done and I really need to feel comfortable with who I'm seeing. I know I could leave the practice if I'm not happy with her response but my husband really likes her, so I don't want to create hard feelings between him and her either.
Any suggestions on how to handle this? Do I just suck it up and pay for the crown if she doesn't voluntarily admit responsibility? Can a crack possibly be fixed without a crown? I'm really nervous about calling her.
Yesterday I went and had a filling done. This morning I noticed (with my tongue) what feels like a crack running up the back of the tooth. It was not there before.
The dentist mentioned that this particular filling would be "easy" because it wasn't very deep, so I don't think it would have cracked just from being too weak to take the drilling or whatever.
When she was putting the filling in, she pushed some metal pieces in between that tooth and the one next to it, and after the filling set and she went to remove the metal, one of the pieces was stuck. It took her several tries of twisting and pulling the thing, and eventually she had to yank it out with hemostats. I suspect this may have been what cracked the tooth.
So now what do I do? I'm afraid it is going to need a crown now, which I can't really afford due to needing a bunch more dental work. I would have to pay 50% of a crown which would be several hundred dollars, and my insurance only covers $1000 a year.
If I go back in, how likely is it that she will take responsibility for this and fix it for free? I don't want to piss her off by suggesting that she caused it... for one thing I am hugely anxious about getting dental work done and I really need to feel comfortable with who I'm seeing. I know I could leave the practice if I'm not happy with her response but my husband really likes her, so I don't want to create hard feelings between him and her either.
Any suggestions on how to handle this? Do I just suck it up and pay for the crown if she doesn't voluntarily admit responsibility? Can a crack possibly be fixed without a crown? I'm really nervous about calling her.
If your tooth is actually cracked I'm guessing you'd feel some pain -- especially when chewing or exerting any sort of pressure on it. Is this the case? Even if not, you should certainly have her look at the tooth anyway. If she did cause it, but doesn't take responsibility for it, then she's probably not the kind of dentist you want to be seeing, anyway, so you should not be worried about pissing her off.
posted by pmbuko at 8:22 AM on June 11, 2010
posted by pmbuko at 8:22 AM on June 11, 2010
You might be feeling the filling material. Just tell them the back of the tooth feels weird and ask them to take a look.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 8:28 AM on June 11, 2010
posted by A Terrible Llama at 8:28 AM on June 11, 2010
Just call and say "After my procedure, I'm feeling an odd crack or groove that wasn't there before. Can I come in and get it taken care of?"
It could be a crack but it could also be something very simple like a scratch from a tool, which will feel to your tongue like an enormous crevasse. Something like that can just be smoothed away, no big deal.
But the first thing to do is call and get back in there so you know exactly what it is. If it's anything small, it will take moments to correct; if it's large, I'm pretty sure she'll be happy to fix it gratis but you won't know where you are until you know what it is.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:31 AM on June 11, 2010
It could be a crack but it could also be something very simple like a scratch from a tool, which will feel to your tongue like an enormous crevasse. Something like that can just be smoothed away, no big deal.
But the first thing to do is call and get back in there so you know exactly what it is. If it's anything small, it will take moments to correct; if it's large, I'm pretty sure she'll be happy to fix it gratis but you won't know where you are until you know what it is.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:31 AM on June 11, 2010
Can a crack possibly be fixed without a crown?
Yes, in some circumstances at least. I had a cracked tooth that was fixed by drilling and filling, just like a cavity. It wasn't cracked down to the root though, more like a corner that was going to chip off if the crack got any worse.
posted by FishBike at 9:37 AM on June 11, 2010
Yes, in some circumstances at least. I had a cracked tooth that was fixed by drilling and filling, just like a cavity. It wasn't cracked down to the root though, more like a corner that was going to chip off if the crack got any worse.
posted by FishBike at 9:37 AM on June 11, 2010
What you could be feeling is some excess adhesive or resin. Being clear or tooth colored makes it very difficult to see, and she must have missed it while feeling around with her instruments while shaping and polishing the restoration. If you don't have any other symptoms, besides a little cold sensitivity(not unusual with new composite fillings)
A quick stop back in the chair will fix it.
posted by Jazz Hands at 10:40 AM on June 11, 2010
A quick stop back in the chair will fix it.
posted by Jazz Hands at 10:40 AM on June 11, 2010
Wow, I kind of just let the sentence end. If you don't have any other symptoms... I highly doubt any damage was done to the tooth.
The bands that are placed around the tooth while the filling is being placed are frequently hard to take out, nothing unusual about having to fuss with them a bit, or use hemostats to grip them.
posted by Jazz Hands at 10:43 AM on June 11, 2010
The bands that are placed around the tooth while the filling is being placed are frequently hard to take out, nothing unusual about having to fuss with them a bit, or use hemostats to grip them.
posted by Jazz Hands at 10:43 AM on June 11, 2010
Have you gotten many fillings before? It sounds to me like you're just running your tongue along the filling (with the way you describe it, anyway.) I've had those metal barriers yanked out many times before and it has never caused damage. What you describe sounds entirely typical.
Not to discourage you from calling, but just so that you don't worry so much.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 12:52 PM on June 11, 2010
Not to discourage you from calling, but just so that you don't worry so much.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 12:52 PM on June 11, 2010
Response by poster: Solon and Jazz... I have had a few previous fillings, but none recently, and I don't really remember anything about a band or barrier being used. It's possible it was and I just never noticed, but presumably the dentist in those cases didn't have any trouble with it.
I do feel better knowing that my experience is typical. So maybe the "crack" is something else.
I tried to call the dentist today but they are not in on Fridays. I'll call in the morning and ask if she can take a look. Hopefully it will turn out to be a stray bit of filling material or something.
I appreciate everyone's answer. I feel a lot better about making the call.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 1:11 PM on June 11, 2010
I do feel better knowing that my experience is typical. So maybe the "crack" is something else.
I tried to call the dentist today but they are not in on Fridays. I'll call in the morning and ask if she can take a look. Hopefully it will turn out to be a stray bit of filling material or something.
I appreciate everyone's answer. I feel a lot better about making the call.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 1:11 PM on June 11, 2010
It is definitely possible to have a serious crack without any sypmtoms. I had one for a couple of year that my dentist wanted to fix, but it was not causing any problems so I blew it off. This eventually resulted in an infection and a miserable root canal experience.
Go back to the dentist to see what is wrong (crack, adhesive, etc) and give her a chance to make it better.
posted by SLC Mom at 1:44 PM on June 11, 2010
Go back to the dentist to see what is wrong (crack, adhesive, etc) and give her a chance to make it better.
posted by SLC Mom at 1:44 PM on June 11, 2010
Jazz Hands has presented the most likely answer, but regardless, you should call the office, explain the situation and go back in for an evaluation. Often small adjustments to the new filling or a bit of adhesive can be managed without even any anesthetic.
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:22 PM on June 11, 2010
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:22 PM on June 11, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Call and say that something feels wrong and you'd like her to take a look, since she was just in there. If she's a pro, and it sounds like she's been good to you thus far, she will take the appropriate action.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 8:19 AM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]