Cracked molar?

[dove]

I had a crack around this time last year and ended up with a crown. Had a temporary one on until the crown was made. So unfortunately, it was a 2 appointment situation.
Do you wear a night guard?

[formerlyak]

I’ve had molars crack because of older fillings and needed to have them crowned. The hardest part, honestly, was just how long you have to sit there with your mouth open.

My 15 year old had a tooth crack from root resorption. Since it was internal, they couldn’t save it, so the tooth had to be extracted. They did it in the dentist office with local anesthesia. I was very nervous about him having a molar pulled while awake, but the dentist and my dentist of 30 years were very reassuring. Teen did fine until the end when I saw a tear roll down his cheek and he grabbed for my hand. After I asked if it hurt and he said no, it was just a lot of pressure there at the end. No pain. And as the numbness was wearing off, he was literally dancing to the radio in the chair. He’s still growing so they can’t do an implant, but he was at the end of his braces so the ortho is just making his retainer to hold that space until his jaw stops growing.

Both sounded scary, but the anticipation was the worst part. And I hate dental work!

[dove]

Aug 5, 2021 22:16:12 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Aug 5, 2021 22:15:00 GMT -5 dove said:

I had a crack around this time last year and ended up with a crown. Had a temporary one on until the crown was made. So unfortunately, it was a 2 appointment situation.
Do you wear a night guard?

I do!

I do too and I still had it crack 😭

[RockNVoll]

This just happens as we get older, too. General wear-and-tear, stuff getting more brittle, etc. I've chipped several teeth for no particular reason over the last few years.

With every chip, they've been able to fix it with a filling so there's hope for a relatively simple fix for you. Mine have been full on chips--chunks breaking off--so worse than your situation, I think. I actually just had my latest fixed yesterday, and it was a pretty sizeable break. Still a filling, no crown.

[RockNVoll]

Aug 5, 2021 22:43:25 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Aug 5, 2021 22:34:43 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

This just happens as we get older, too. General wear-and-tear, stuff getting more brittle, etc. I've chipped several teeth for no particular reason over the last few years.

With every chip, they've been able to fix it with a filling so there's hope for a relatively simple fix for you. Mine have been full on chips--chunks breaking off--so worse than your situation, I think. I actually just had my latest fixed yesterday, and it was a pretty sizeable break. Still a filling, no crown.

This is encouraging. Have you had a chip on a molar? I think I said in OP the chip is in the middle/front of the tooth and there seems to be a line going up, but it’s hard to get a clear picture.

Yep, I've chipped molars at least 3x.  I just have bad dental genetics, LOL.

[WOT?*]

I have TMJ and clench my teeth horribly. Have for most of my life. My teeth *look* straight so I never got braces, but they weren't properly aligned and the molars in back were a bit high so my bite was off and cracks are a given as I've gotten older. I've had fillings with small chips, crowns with larger cavities/chips and part of the tooth giving way, and now in a couple places have implants. And yes, these are molars. I've had the "take a bite out of a bagel" cracked molar and the "something just felt weird a minute ago, and now there's something between my tooth and gum and crap, it's not food, it's a part of my tooth!" molar incident. They've resulted in crowns in my apparently small and difficult-to-work-in mouth. I've basically got the equivalent of a sports car, a very nice vacation or my (former) dentist's kid's first year of college in my mouth.

I just had a front tooth chip and the dentist did a simple build-up rather than capping them. Visually, you can't even see the repairs. My bite's a little different but that can't be helped.

I've had a couple WTF times in the dental chair (with my prior dentist) but I psych myself up, fake I'm asleep/zoning out and pretend-nap while I'm meditating or concentrating on my breathing instead, or deal with stress by joking to get through it. If your dentist is good, he'll be able to work wonders, with the tooth and with your anxiety and fears.

[formerlyak]

mofongo I was nervous about the dentist and Covid, but we’ve actually gone to all our cleanings, ortho appointments and the teen’s extractions in the past 18 months and been fine. I was very nervous the first cleanings. But, they had on multiple masks, face shields, and didn’t let people wait together in the waiting room.

[statgirl]

If you trust your dentist’s precautions, I would be comfortable going. I trust my husband’s dentist and team—I know her and her precautions seem reasonable. I would not trust some of my dentist’s team and probably have a “strange lady” flag in my folder because of that (there is one hygienist that doesn’t know how to use masks at all).

ETA: I say this even with the huge surge in LA and FL. I swear I need to add that disclaimer to all COVID adjacent posts. Everyone’s pandemic is different and yours and mine are sucky right now.

[Pilsy]

mofongo, that stinks! Like you, I wear a nightguard. I am freakishly protective of me teeth, and even still, I have several chips from night grinding. Argh! Does anyone else have dreams about all her teeth falling out? Just me?

I was also super nervous about going to the dentist during all this, but I was equally paranoid about missing my cleanings, so I've gone. Turns out my dentist has taken the whole thing more seriously than anyone else I know; the precautions in place are extraordinary and so comforting to me. My doctor's office seemed carefree in comparison!

Good luck!!

[sent]

Aug 5, 2021 22:04:05 GMT -5 mofongo said:

I DESPISE dental work, and with our current surge the last place I want to be is in a dentist chair. Anyway, I have a 17yr long relationship with my dentist and now his daughter, I’m calling in the morning. Any stories of hope?

Your google answers are correct. However, I do want to say that the dentist's office is the last place you could catch COVID. All dental offices have always followed the CDC's recommendations of masking and removing aerosols before COVID was a thing. COVID just emphasized using N-95 for the operators & assistants during aerosol generating procedures on a more regular basis. You would likely be the only patient in the treatment room. I'm not sure what state you are in but my state and others still require masks inside healthcare offices. If yours doesn't, none of the dentist's staff or the dentists themselves would bat an eye if you choose to wear one in the office common areas. 

[lilafowler]

Don’t you remember my teeth tales of woe over the winter? I had a root canal scheduled because I’d put off a crown for so long and the old filling totally cracked the tooth-about a week before I was eating a pecan sandie (lol) and I thought I bit into nuts….😭

It was my tooth. “Luckily” it was the tooth already scheduled to be fixed.

The root canal was NOT bad at all. Way easier than I thought it would be.

[Pilsy]

lilafowler, I chipped a tooth on a candy cane once. I don't even like candy canes. A pecan sandie is so much more worth it! lol

[skidunks]

My office has continued with super high levels of precautions so hopefully your office’s goal is to keep everyone safe!
It kind of depends on your tooth, the crack, how deep it might go, etc. if you want to send me a pic shoot me a Pm!

[lilafowler]

Aug 6, 2021 9:18:25 GMT -5 Pilsy said:

lilafowler, I chipped a tooth on a candy cane once. I don't even like candy canes. A pecan sandie is so much more worth it! lol

I hadn’t had one in years and had mentioned it to my mom so she bought some for me. I learned my lesson!

[lilafowler]

I will say my dentist and all the hygienists are in full PPE when I go. I love my dentist, which is good since I see her so often 😅

[sent]

Aug 6, 2021 13:41:06 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Aug 6, 2021 9:09:28 GMT -5 sent said:

Your google answers are correct. However, I do want to say that the dentist's office is the last place you could catch COVID. All dental offices have always followed the CDC's recommendations of masking and removing aerosols before COVID was a thing. COVID just emphasized using N-95 for the operators & assistants during aerosol generating procedures on a more regular basis. You would likely be the only patient in the treatment room. I'm not sure what state you are in but my state and others still require masks inside healthcare offices. If yours doesn't, none of the dentist's staff or the dentists themselves would bat an eye if you choose to wear one in the office common areas. 

I hear you, but I don’t know if I agree with last. I’m gonna make sure they are wearing N95s. It’s a bit unnerving to be somewhere, not be able to wear a mask and have my mouth open!

Of course you should feel safe. But the N95s protect the dentist and staff from inhaling particles if you are infected with an airborne disease such as COVID or tuberculosis. Not the other way around.

Are you saying the office will judge you for wearing a mask inside? I really hope they wouldn’t do that.

[Dznyprnces]

We are one of those families that put off dental care because it made me nervous to have people in our mouths. We got caught up on our care this summer. All dentists and hygienists wore masks, and either a face shield or eye protection. The dentists even wore glasses with like magnifying goggle things on them so they didn’t have to lean so close. I don’t remember those pre-COVID. My dentist (different from my @kids) gave me eye protection to wear as well. I feel it was as safe as it could have been.

[picksthemusic]

I have a cracked rear molar, and I recently got it fixed since I had a cavity there, too. It was my last molar holdout to be filled, and I guess it also had a crack in it. My crack had caused the cavity to go to the nerve, so she filled it the best she could and we're just hoping it holds up so I won't need a root canal any time soon.

I do brush with Sensodyne now, which I don't know why, but makes me feel super old. LOL

[sent]

Aug 6, 2021 19:30:13 GMT -5 @hiphopanonymous said:

Aug 6, 2021 14:21:51 GMT -5 sent said:

But the N95s protect the dentist and staff from inhaling particles if you are infected with an airborne disease such as COVID or tuberculosis. Not the other way around.

I thought that had been debunked and studies showed masks also prevented the infected person from spreading it, lowered the viral load, etc.

I'm going by this here for the N95:

www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/UnderstandDifferenceInfographic-508.pdf

Yes, the chart shows that the level 3 protects the patient from the health care worker as well so I'd think it's reasonable to assume the N95 would protect the patient also since if the aerosols have difficulty getting in, they would have difficulty getting out also. 

[sent]

Aug 6, 2021 20:31:46 GMT -5 @hiphopanonymous said:

Aug 6, 2021 20:10:37 GMT -5 sent said:

I'm going by this here for the N95:

www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/UnderstandDifferenceInfographic-508.pdf

Yes, the chart shows that the level 3 protects the patient from the health care worker as well so I'd think it's reasonable to assume the N95 would protect the patient also since if the aerosols have difficulty getting in, they would have difficulty getting out also. 

Is that exactly opposite of what you said in the previous quote? I can't tell if I'm tired and misunderstanding.

Yes it is. When I wrote my first post, I only looked at the N95 column which confirmed what I knew from pre-COVID. After your post I looked at the Level 3 column which confirms what you said as correct. If the Level 3 protects the patient, then my assumption is we can extend that logic to N95s even though the chart doesn’t explicitly say it.

I just don’t want people being scared of catching COVID at the dentist office. I see this notion a lot on my local boards. I know most of my colleagues have invested a lot of money into making sure their patients feel safe so I don’t want people reading this post thinking your chances of getting infected are that much higher at the dentist office compared to walking into your local supermarket.

[sent]

Aug 7, 2021 9:56:04 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Aug 7, 2021 7:40:57 GMT -5 sent said:

Yes it is. When I wrote my first post, I only looked at the N95 column which confirmed what I knew from pre-COVID. After your post I looked at the Level 3 column which confirms what you said as correct. If the Level 3 protects the patient, then my assumption is we can extend that logic to N95s even though the chart doesn’t explicitly say it.

I just don’t want people being scared of catching COVID at the dentist office. I see this notion a lot on my local boards. I know most of my colleagues have invested a lot of money into making sure their patients feel safe so I don’t want people reading this post thinking your chances of getting infected are that much higher at the dentist office compared to walking into your local supermarket.

I am scared of catching covid everywhere right now, we are leading the nation currently, our hospitals are again overwhelmed and at capacity. As I said before last time I went they were NOT wearing N95s, I will confirm they are before I go. I’m sorry, but anywhere that I cannot wear a mask, and don’t know people’s vaccination status, is going to make me feel on edge. 

Yes I saw your wrote they were not wearing N95s and I think it is ok to ask them to do so. Everyone should be wearing them for aerosol generating procedures but even health care professionals have idiots among us unfortunately. I’m sorry you are in an area with high rates and that you have to be on guard about your safety at all times.

[VillainV]

I had a cracked molar last summer. Long story short, after a temporary crown, we decided I needed a root canal. Then eventually I got the permanent crown. It was military dentistry a d took several weeks for what probably could have been done with maybe two visits to a civilian endodontist.

For all visits, all dentists and techs were wearing N-95s with surgical masks overtop, full face shields, and eye protection. I was masked every second I wasn’t in the chair. I know most of those measures protect the dental workers, but I also felt extremely safe.