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small section of tooth or tartar???

S

Sticks1977

Junior member
Joined
Jan 19, 2008
Messages
2
Location
Cranbourne West, Victoria
Before I begin, it has been quite a while since I have been to the dentist and I must admit I am not the best at keeping my teeth clean, some days I do happen to miss brushing before bed-time.

Late last week I was rubbing my tongue along the back of my lower front teeth and a small piece of tooth dislodged from the base of one of the lower front teeth. I managed to grab it from out of my mouth and it was rather small but I noticed a black/dark brown area on it and after feeling with my finger there is a small gap at the base of the tooth...

I have made an appointment with a local dentist for Monday (at 2.45pm) and I have never been there before, and I am hopeful that I will not lose the tooth. Later tonight I was looking at the tooth in the mirror and noticed another small build up of tartar between two of my front lower teeth.

I had a prod and poke at it with the flossing tool and managed to get two smaller sections out between the teeth and with the same result, appearing white on the surface but then a black/dark brown colour underneath.

Should I be taking these small samples with me to the dentist or should I just mention that this is what I have found? Also would I be likely to lose the tooth, I am hopeful that I will not as it is one of my front teeth and cosmetically it wouldn't look good to have one missing...

I am my own worst enemy in regards to not taking proper care of my teeth, but the dentist is not my most favourite place, every time I go I have to keep my eyes closed and I tense up as it freaks me out seeing what they are putting into my mouth... eeek!!

Thank you for reading (for those that have) and hopefully some of you can take the time to reply - I'd appreciate it. I shall also let you know how I progress with my dental appointment and any news I have from the dentist.

Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)
 
Let me just state that I am by far NOT a dentist. But in my opinion it sounds like a tartar build up. It could have possibly calcified. I've had tartar calcified and it can become quite hard and feel a bit like a chipped piece of tooth. But if you think about it, would your tooth really chip away that easily if the rest of it is in a good condition?

Also, if you're freaked out about going to the dentist, you could ask for laughing gas. It does cost extra but believe me, it's worth it!

The only way you can definitely be sure is if you go to the dentist. I hope everything goes well! :grouphug:
 
Yes I would definately recomend laughing gas as deb89 said, it REALLY helps me relieve my anxiety.:cheers:
 
I ended up visiting the dentist and suprisingly a woman dentist was to do the procedure, I have had male dentists work on my teeth all my life so it was good to have a change!

She examined my mouth and took x-rays of the molars on both sides of my mouth and found no problems with decay or tartar at all. She also recommended that I had a clean-up of tartar build up that was around my front teeth.

I mentioned about the small parts that had fallen off the back of my lower tooth at the front and she didn't seem to worry that much about it. Upon further examination she just said that it was build up and that there were no cavities or holes to worry about as there were none apparent!

She said that I should come back in a few months for a further clean as I had a build up around my gums and she wanted that to settle first before doing any more work around my teeth and gums. After the consultation I went out and purchased new heads for my electric toothbrush and some Listerine!

I noticed looking in the mirror as well there is a small gap between my front lower teeth - it doesn't really worry me but it looks a bit odd!

Thanks to all for replies - and the experience at the dentist was not as bad as I thought it may have been! woooo!

Regards, Shaun (sticks1977) :)
 
I'm glad you plucked up the courage to go! It seems we always think our teeth are worse off than they are. Which is definitely a relief when you find out they're not as bad as you thought. I hope you continue to have pleasant visits to the dentist. :grouphug:
 
I think that in some cases a gap between teeth, especially those front ones can be quite attractive. In your case, perhaps it is because the tartar fell off which was taking up the room between the teeth and that actually that's how they were before, but you just don't remember. Funnily enough I found an old photo of me taken at 25 (I know some of you may think even 25 is old!) but my goodness, what wonderful teeth I had, I had quite forgotten. They're just the same today (but not my own any more, but who cares. I certainly don't. Anyhow, well done on getting through your appointment and again, like so many of us before you, you found it wasn't as bad as you had feared.
 
Yeah, I have gaps between my four incisors on the bottom after they removed all of the plaque. You don't realize how much tartar there really is until the dentist does a cleaning :o
 
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