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Am I Going to Lose My Tooth?

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I was on vacation when I lost about 1/3 of a tooth. I went to an emergency dentist where I was and they did a root canal treatment. When I got home my dentist checked the work and said it was fine. He later put a dental crown on it. A year later, my tooth became very sensitive to hot and cold. I ignored it at first and when it got to where I couldn’t, I went back in. The dentist didn’t see anything wrong with it and sent me to an endodontic specialist. The specialist said that he thought the problem was the tooth next to the injured one, but didn’t see anything on the x-ray. His opinion is that I’m probably putting pressure on it while I was sleeping. Here’s my problem. The tooth pain comes and goes. It’s hurting less and less, but I’m worried that means something bad. Am I going to lose this tooth?

Minnie

Dear Minnie,

Woman grabbing her jaw with her hand

When you had the trauma to the tooth that was broken, it is very likely that your adjacent teeth received some trauma as well. In some cases the tooth does not initially show any signs of that trauma. Then, a year (and sometimes even more) later, your tooth starts to hurt and the symptoms blow up. If the pulp of your tooth is inflamed, it would not initially show up on an x-ray.

If the pain is going away, then one of two possibilities is going on right now. First, the tooth could have resolved itself and everything will be fine. Or, it is possible that the tooth is dying. If it is the second option, then the problem will eventually show up on an x-ray. The tooth will also begin to turn dark.

So, what should you do? Right now, you don’t have to do anything. I would continue with your regular dental appointments and make sure to have the tooth x-rayed every couple of years. If the tooth doesn’t get any worse, then you have nothing to worry about. If it does start to show signs of a problem, then you will need to have another root canal treatment and dental crown.

It’s not currently a dental emergency or anything to worry about. I’m not worried that you are going to lose your tooth. I hope this puts your mind at ease.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Do I Have to Tell the Emergency Dentist What Happened?

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I got hit in the mouth by someone, but don’t want to tell the emergency dentist what happened. I was doing something I should not have been at the time. Because of that, I don’t want to get the authorities involved. Is it required to tell him what happened?  I honestly thought this would heal on its own, but the tooth is definitely getting worse and is turning gray and hurting more.

Name Withheld

Dear Anonymous,

Man holding his jaw in pain

There are certain things that are mandatory reportings for medical professionals. This would include people who are a danger to themselves or people who are a danger to others. I don’t know if you fall into that category based on what you said. What the dentist does need to know is the details of the injury.

In your case, that would be that you got hit in your mouth. I’m not sure any other details would really matter. Make sure he or she knows that you were hit in the mouth. A traumatic injury gets looked at differently than other types of injuries because there are hidden dangers to the tooth in those cases.

Please don’t put off having this looked at out of fear of reprisal. You can keep that part secret. The graying tooth means the tooth is dead or dying. When that happens you need a root canal treatment. Under some circumstances, you could put off getting that seen. However, your injury is combined with pain.

Pain indicates an active infection. That is serious and you don’t want to give it time to spread. Your jaw is close to your heart, lungs, and brain. If it reaches that area, a dental emergency can turn into something life threatening.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Can I Charge a Venue for My Dental Emergency?

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I was at a small concert venue and some people started arguing. They started pushing and I was pushed in the Frey. For some reason, the bouncer thought I was one of the main parties and grabbed me. I told him I wasn’t and tried to pull away from him. That’s when he hit me. I was pretty ticked but couldn’t do much about it. So far, I’ve lost ticket money and now, this morning I realize one of my teeth are loose from where he hit me. I don’t have money for this kind of thing. Can I charge the venue?

Lance

Dear Lance,

Man holding his jaw in pain

I’m sorry about you missing your concert. I know those tickets don’t come cheap, even at small venues. The first thing I would do is call the venue and see if they’ll agree to cover the expense after you explain what happened. If they don’t, the dentist will not be able to charge them. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t get the treatment you need.

I’d call your dentist and let them know what’s going on. A loose adult tooth is considered a dental emergency. Most dentists are compassionate and went into the field in order to help people. If you let them know about your financial situation, they may be willing to allow you to receive the treatment you need and then pay out the procedure.

If you don’t have a dentist at the moment, you can do an internet search for an emergency dentist. These are simply general dentists who are willing to see non-established patients when there is a situation such as yours and timely care is important.

What to Expect From and Emergency Dentist

Because you have a loose tooth he’ll likely start by doing x-rays. This is to see if there is any internal damage to the tooth. If there is, he may have to do a root canal treatment and provide you with a dental crown.

If that is not an issue you need to worry about, then it’s probably just a stretched ligament. He’ll stabilize your tooth with some form of splint which will give the tooth time to heal.

In order for you to try and recoup your money from the venue, you will want to make sure you get timely treatment. If you end up taking them to small claims court and winning, they will only charge the venue for work which would have been done if you’d gotten seen right away. If you post-pone this and end up losing the tooth, they won’t charge the venue for a tooth replacement which was avoidable.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.