Has anyone left a broken tooth?

[Tiff0543]

I have a tooth that broke about 4 months ago and I know I have to go but would like to wait if I could I'm just so nervous. It seems like it is a broken cusp that is exposing the dentin and the nerve.
Has anyone waited on going to the dentist with a broken tooth?

 

[biffo1963]

Only when forced to by the dentist being snowed under with patients or (the latest wheeze) all the NHS dentists leaving the practice. Nowadays I prefer to get issues like broken teeth or lost fillings fixed ASAP.

 

[calliophe]

i waited for almost 8 years and it was extracted 2 weeks ago,almost totally under the gumline. First, there were periods of pain, broken amalgam cutting my tongue then whole amalgam vanished( i guess i swallowed it)and I began using the other side for chewing until I broke a molar on that side this year which took me to the dentist at last. During that period of neglect most of my molars decayed.I think my mouth is infected by bacteria from the broken tooth .

 

[leafsby2]

I have a tooth that broke about 4 months ago and I know I have to go but would like to wait if I could I'm just so nervous. It seems like it is a broken cusp that is exposing the dentin and the nerve.
Has anyone waited on going to the dentist with a broken tooth?

I’ve left 2 of mine an upper wisdom tooth broke and kept breaking until the gum eventually grew over (that’s been about 5 years now) also had my last molar on the other side break (I actually got annoyed with the pain so tried to pull it out myself and broke the crown of the tooth off which left the nerve 100% exposed. It’s was excruciating pain for about a week and then a few times of and on until the nerve died, after that the gum grew over too and that’s been there for about 11 years now. Neither one has caused me any Ill effects besides pain until the nerve died.

I just keep them clean, salt water rinses (very gentle picking out the food) and soak my mouth with colloidal silver every morning for about 20 minutes (I hold it in my mouth) the only infections I’ve gotten were from flossing and neither infection (both from flossing) were in the broken teeth.

 

[biffo1963]

@leafsby2 I was like that too when I was still phobic ! I wish I hadn't been, but it's all water under the bridge now.

 

[LittleLynnie]

I left several of them for close to 20 years, because they were in the area where I'd had trigeminal neuralgia (caused by an extraction, my dentist believed) and I could NOT risk that happening to me again (it lasted for 3 years and one year of that was really hell because they didn't diagnose and treat it - they didn't believe someone in their early 20's could possibly have it).

 

[Visualfears]

@LittleLynnie Was one of those teeth that you left for 20 years a very rear bottom wisdom tooth? If so, how long has it been rotted or chipped if it was?

 

[terrytooth]

I have a friend who has a broken molar but the root is still there, it’s been like that for over a year and hes not reported any issues. My only fear for him is if it does cause issues in the future, tooth ache sucks!

 

[LittleLynnie]

@Visualfears They were all at the back on the top, and were like that for decades. I would guess that they started to rot about 30 years ago.

 

[Emily85]

@Tiff0543 I left a broken molar for a couple of months due to dental anxiety (and anxiety about the potential cost!). By the time I finally got to the dentist, even more tooth had broken away and the repair was more costly. I ended up wishing I'd gone in straight away. I wouldn't leave it too long!

 

[Visualfears]

@LittleLynnie Thanks and sorry for the late reply. I'm worried as my rear bottom left side wisdom tooth had a lot of pain until it chipped in pieces and now it doesn't hurt. I have just been worrying about a sudden infection or illness that can cause death for not having some chipped wisdom tooth extracted.

 

[LittleLynnie]

I did what I had to do and was worried about those things for decades. I don't know about death statistics, so it might be good for you to ask a dentist that one.

 

[leafsby2]

@LittleLynnie Thanks and sorry for the late reply. I'm worried as my rear bottom left side wisdom tooth had a lot of pain until it chipped in pieces and now it doesn't hurt. I have just been worrying about a sudden infection or illness that can cause death for not having some chipped wisdom tooth extracted.

I had a top right wisdom break 8 years ago the gum completely grew over and it hasn’t caused any Ill effects I actually have 2 teeth that broke off at the gum (one I actually tried to pull myself) and just broke the whole crown off the nerve was exposed and just laying there. I actually went to the dentist after I broke it, they took X-rays and said it was impacted and they needed to send me to be put to sleep for surgery and it was a 2 year wait list they sent me on my way with nothing but a bill (no antibiotics etc) I guess this kinda added to my fear of dentists as even they couldn’t do anything for me.

From what I gather reading Gordon’s comments on a lot of posts here unless your malnourished and or have cancer or aids a tooth infection won’t cause you any harm other than pain.

I know it’s hard with google being the doom an gloom, but think about it for a minute, if dentists (not all) didn’t put fear into people weather it be your gonna die, loose a tooth or have an ugly smile some people wouldn’t visit them and they would loose business.

every single person before dentistry was a thing should be dead due to infection if that was the case.

My mother in law only visits the dentist if she absolutely has to, every single one of her teeth on the top have broke (besides her front teeth) and the gums have grew over she’s been that way for 10 plus years, only once has she had to go to the dentist due to a swollen cheek and that’s I am assuming only because she kept putting her hands in her mouth trying to pull the tooth herself with dirty fingers.

Keep your mouth super clean, rinse your mouth as soon as your done eating to remove all food particles and brush shortly after (I do this after every meal and snack) even if it’s 6 times a day. Bacteria can’t take over if you don’t give them an environment they can thrive in.

Also to add the mother in law I was talking about does not keep her mouth clean, uses straws to suck the air out of ziploc bags that raw meat is in before she puts it in the freezer and takes out used shake and bake (from the freezer) and taste tests what flavour it is despite it having raw chicken in it previously (so the infection I was talking about above was most likely self caused)

 

[Visualfears]

@leafsby2 Thanks for the info and your story with your mother in law's teeth. It appears like some gum may be growing over my recently chipped wisdom tooth on the bottom. It was really dark at first in the centre of the tooth and now not so much and it feels a lot like skin rather than something solid since I floss it every day. I will keep my mouth super clean every day.

And yes, google is just cruel sometimes when it comes to fears. It even said that teeth infection on the lower wisdoms can cause heart problems and that scared me too.

 

[leafsby2]

@Visualfears from what I’ve read and can be corrected if wrong by a dentist, is that only happens if you have say a heart issues to begin with, like artificial heart valves etc.

My wife’s cousin and this may sound rude (not meant to be) but for the last 15 years all his teeth are black nubs like they are rotted down to stumps every single one. As far as I know he has never been hospitalized or even on any antibiotics (for his teeth) and according to my wife his teeth have been like that for as long as she could remember.

with google they make it scary purposely. I mean I am sure it’s happened but we don’t know the person it happened too, they never include that info like they were malnourished, AIDS, Cancer…


I think for the most part statistics are used from 3rd world countries.

I wouldn’t worry about it too much I mean I assume it’s been broken/cracked or had a cavity for some time before it broke all the bacteria would have had a chance to get in there before it broke and when it was weak, so I assume it would have happened by now if it was going too.

I am terrified about all that stuff too, mostly sepsis, but according to Gordon that doesn’t happen or at least not that he has seen and that’s saying something cause I am sure dentists come across thousands of people.

 

[Visualfears]

@leafsby2 Thanks a lot for the help and info. I can rest assure for now! I did finally get over my dental surgery fears a couple of years ago and was willing to finally get my bad teeth pulled but I couldn't do it because of financial issues but thanks to learning that I'll be likely okay, I can happily continue to save up for the day to get them all pulled without the fear of sudden illness or death.

Your wife's cousin's case with his teeth as well as your mother in law's were all interesting to me because when I was searching for info, I truly could never find a peer reviewed or dental study of some sort that mentions people leaving rotted teeth for years with them bothering the individuals. And yes, you are right about google as well as some (again some like you say and not all as there are great ones) dentists making a business out of such fears.

 

[leafsby2]

I am glad you were able to get over yours I still have a long way to go. My fear is having tooth/teeth pulled, and the financial part adds to that.

Believe it or not I was talking to someone from India last week and dental came up, he stated to me that when they need any sort of dental work his family and him fly back to India get their work done and fly back and it’s still cheaper than getting it done here in Canada. $50-$60 CAD for a root canal there.

I can’t even step foot in a dental office, hell can’t even sit in the parking lot while the kids are in there with the wife, without panicking I believe I am an extreme case.

 

[Visualfears]

@leafsby2 Perhaps I may travel to India or Mexico one day to get my teeth work done. I too live in Canada. BC specifically and it's almost 3 grand here as I need an oral surgeon (plus general anaesthetics) to get my chipped tooth to the gum pulled and that's just one tooth and I have no insurance so that is on the back burner for a while.

Best of luck with your teeth and I hope they either never bother you at all ever or one day you overcome such fears and other financial stuff to get them treated!

 

[leafsby2]

@leafsby2 Perhaps I may travel to India or Mexico one day to get my teeth work done. I too live in Canada. BC specifically and it's almost 3 grand here as I need an oral surgeon (plus general anaesthetics) to get my chipped tooth to the gum pulled and that's just one tooth and I have no insurance so that is on the back burner for a while.

Best of luck with your teeth and I hope they either never bother you at all ever or one day you overcome such fears and other financial stuff to get them treated!

Wonder why they want to charge you so much, some dentists pull wisdom teeth and leave the “root tips” if it’s close to the nerve. Why can’t this be done In your case instead of charging you out the arse and sending you to a specialist who wants to use general on you.

 

[Visualfears]

@leafsby2 Yeah I'm not sure as to why. I will ask for a second opinion.