so confused on broken tooth and wait time...

[Theinfamousbullterrier]

hello, i have a tooth that broke a piece off upon inspecting with a mirror dental tool i see its broken a bit to the inside i noticed a sharp sensation in my mouth for weeks finally realized and made a appointmet my main worry with this situation is
1- how long will it take a tooth to get a infection?
2- will regular brushing, mouth wash, and salt water rinse prevent infection for the time being?
3- how long does it take a cavity to travel to the point that it becomes a root canal and not a filling?

i had some minor pain when biting down gave it a rest took to ibuprofen and its allot better but just paranoid overall any input would be greatly appreciated

I'm terrified of my face swelling up it makes no sense tbh if a dentist would see me now and give me a filling it would prevent a root canal wouldn't waiting a month for my appointment cause infection

 

[Gordon]

hello, i have a tooth that broke a piece off upon inspecting with a mirror dental tool i see its broken a bit to the inside i noticed a sharp sensation in my mouth for weeks finally realized and made a appointmet my main worry with this situation is
1- how long will it take a tooth to get a infection?

Depends on why it broke in the first place, overall decay rate, diet and so on. Could go on for decades (literally) without problems. I broke a bit off a tooth during the first Covid lockdown. Didn't want it extracted so waited until things got back to normal No problem and no root canal needed.

2- will regular brushing, mouth wash, and salt water rinse prevent infection for the time being?

No. But it will help. Main thing is diet, keep carbs to mealtimes, no snacking etc. There's a FAQ on here about avoiding decay.

3- how long does it take a cavity to travel to the point that it becomes a root canal and not a filling?

See No 1.

I'm terrified of my face swelling up it makes no sense tbh if a dentist would see me now and give me a filling it would prevent a root canal wouldn't waiting a month for my appointment cause infection

A month isn't a problem if your diet is sensible.