Last Thursday night I bit into a piece of meat that must have had a sliver of bone in it and my tooth hurt BAD so I called and got in today. Ok so far so good, I managed with the hot and cold sensitivity, not being able to chew on that side, I went and they took X rays poked and prodded, said I must have bruised it and it would heal on its own, Ok I was good with that. Came home was eating a piece of Pizza and hmm that tooth feels funny, I look at it and it is broken in half! I can almost wiggle the one half off, Now. why didn't that crack show up on the x ray? He said it wasn't chipped or cracked. Do I stop payment on my check, call back and complain or just find a new dentist? I am leaving tomorrow afternoon for a week of camping. It doesn't hurt but it very well may if this falls all they way apart! and it took a week for an emergency appointment the first time! And I can't chew on that side! GGRRRRR Ok I feel better, gonna go to bed soon!

I would DEFINITELY go to another dentist. If the tooth is cracked, it WOULD have shown up on the xray. Call another dentist in the area and see if you can get in on an emergency ASAP with them. Lord only knows what could happen while you are camping. You could get an infection in there...infections in teeth can happen overnight and it's NOT a good thing!

There just isn't anyone around here taking new patients that is the tough thing! Especially since I don't have any insurance. I am going to call in the morning but it is a 59 mile one way trip to go and IF he will do anything?!!

That sucks!
Definitely call him. Like I said, he SHOULD have found the crack in the xray. Even a small crack should have shown up. If he can't get you in, at least ask him for some antibiotics or something IN CASE an infection develops. Not a good thing to have on a camping trip...or any time, for that matter.

Good Idea Terri I will ask about the antibiotics and I will call first thing in the morning.

I found a neat thing to have in first aid bag. Emergency tooth filler, kind of like a putty or wax that you cover the tooth with and it keeps crap out of the hole. It is at wal mart near all the dental things, so prob would also be at drug stores. I would make sure I take something like that with me. just in case....good luck

I did buy some temporay filling like this but as soon as I put it on it hurt so darn bad I couldn't wait to get rid of it. Now that it is not so sensitive it might work. and I have some so will take it with me or maybe try it in the morning. Thanks for the reminder.

I had a root canal done and an infection set in that night. OUCH, was NOT what I was saying. It hurt so bad I was in tears on the phone to the dentist. He had a script for a Zpac and some pain killers for me. Then I had to call hubby to come get me since the pain was so bad I couldn't see straight. He had to drive me to the dentist, then to get script filled. Best thing about Zpac is...it's only 5 pills (I think) and it works QUICKLY!

I am praying for NO infections, Have gone through that enough with my kids!! My Son in Ohio was to ER so often with infections they accused him of just wanting pain meds!! He spent 11 Days in the hospital because of an infected tooth! I just asked my son as the last time he got an antibiotic he had a refill so may go get that tomorrow just in case I need it.

I had something similar happen to one of my teeth. I was also eating some pizza that had a crispy crust. I bit into it and felt instant pain in one of my back teeth. I could feel something move when I touched my tongue to it. I had an appointment in a couple day with my hygienist (sp?) so I just waited til then.

She was very gentle while cleaning my teeth and didn't find anything wrong. She even took several x-rays and nothing showed up. She was quite confused at to what was wrong with the tooth. She called in my dentist to check my teeth and he gently probed and found the problem. The entire side of my tooth had completely broken and was only held in by a piece of gum tissue. My hygienist was shocked that she didn't find it and that it didn't show up on x-ray. I am now waiting to have a crown put on that tooth. I have already had the root canal done.

I think the world of the dental office I go to. They are wonderful with extreme dental cowards like me.

I would call the dentist you just saw and insist they see you right away.It is hard to believe it wasn't cracked when they did the xray, but it is possible it didn't show up if it was very minor. Chewing on it may have been all it needed to crack wide open. You need this seen to right away before the nerve is exposed or infection.
Of coarse the decision is up to you, but if it were me, on second thought, I would be there when they open in the morning. :|

Oh Goody! He already told me a crown was not an option as several of my back teeth are loose, He says he sees dentures in my future! Ug My kids inherited bad teeth from my husband and My side of the family isn't much better. My Dad is the only one with his teeth! I am not looking forward to this adventure!! My dentist did all kinds of things but this pizza wasn't hard and I had only taken a couple bites but it is defiantly a broken tooth! the only good thing is it doesn't hurt anymore so I hope it isn't to the nerve of the tooth!

I broke a tooth one time on the way home from a vacation when I bit into a hard shell taco :shock: Like yours mine didn't hurt , Thank goodness as it was on a Saturday .

I would call the dentist in the AM and tell them you will sit in the office until they can squeeze you in and be stern ! Tell them lunch is optionally :wink: You need help
Keep us posted and GOOD LUCK

Everyone has already said it: see the dentist, get on antibiotics (see a doc in the box or have the dentist phone in a script), and get the tooth taken care of pronto. I dilly dallied around with one of mine and ended up with even more problems than if I had just gone and had the work done, sigh...

Find a new dentist! But get your ex rays from the other dentist, no use paying for those twice. I love my dentist as far as dentist goes. I can call and be seen that same day, usually within the hour. She does this for all her long time patients, she says it's the right thing to do for her business and her conscience. She has so many patients she can't accept any new ones.

I agree with DITTER - but would emphasize the words
INSIST THEY SEE YOU RIGHT AWAY.
Go up the ladder from the receptionist to the dentist himself.
Make sure HE is aware of Your situation. That would be bad advertising for him to ignore your situation.

I'd have the tooth taken care of before going camping...even if it meant cancelling or postponing the camping until it was taken care of.

Please go soon! I broke a tooth, and I have no insurance so I waited to save money!!!!!!!!!
Long story made short, I ended up with a terrible infection, face swelled up and I couldnt stop drooling, and I am serious! Happened of course, on a Friday night, so I had to wait til Monday!
It was BAD! They had to send me to an oral surgeon to remove it immmediatly. I guess what I am saying is please dont wait!

I once broke a tooth on a weekend & the dentist told me to paint it with fingernail polish until I could get to see him. I guess that seals out air, etc. that could get to the nerve.

I would call that dentist right back and insist on getting in today to have the rest of the tooth removed. I would also question them as to whether or not they plan to bill you for the visit as they charged you for the previous visit and ensured you there was no crack in the tooth. I would let them know that you would appreciate not being billed for this visit as it should have been taken care of in the first visit. It is hard now I think with the equipment that the dentists use. I had a cavity that I could see between two of teeth in the front and when I went and had xrays done the dentist found two others but never mentioned that one. I questioned him about is and he said that it definately was a cavity and was quite disappointed that his new high tech machine did not show it. He just shook his head as it had happened to him a few times before. For some reason this great new technology they have is not really that great. Good luck to you.

As a dental nurse for 33 years, I can assure you that NOT all cracks will show up on an xray. Depends where they are. So saying, ou should definitely contact the dentist who saw you. I also am astounded it took a week for an emergency apt. We see all toothaches the day they ring. On Tuesday night, I broke my front tooth. Lucky I work with and for great people, who did a temp repair job the next morning. Can't imagine what I would have done otherwise. Good Luck with your tooth.

Love my dentist, wouldn't give up even when ins. changed, had one once, in a similar situation w/upcoming vac. started a root canal, had told him we could wait. hurt the whole time, lots of warm salt water seemed like the only thing that helped, But had another waited till mon to call, he told me not to, because they have on call weekend buddies. who knew.

Hope your tooth feels better, definately recontact!!

Im with lindyline on this one. I dont read dental xrays but am certified to read skeletal ones. Cracks often do not show immediately. The swelling or bruising in the area will cause the two pieces to be pushed together and you cant see the crack especially one that is oblique through the bone. Once the swelling recedes the crack opens up. This is such a frequent phenomenon that years ago, in private doctor's offices, the standard was to xray the area twice, once immediately and once in 24-48 hours after the swelling receded, before you stated there was absolutely no fracture. Now we have CT and MRI that are readily available.

If you were my patient, I would see you again immediately.

I had a horrible experience my last visit. A filling fell out. I told them it was not an emergency, but I needed an appointment. They schedule me at 11:30, not telling me they were working me in. They kept me waiting in the chair for an hour. That filling fell out in a few days. I ended up going back two more times to get satisfaction. I told them I would not wait that I worked for myself and if I was not working I was not earning. I was ready to take them to small claims court when we finally got everything worked out. I WILL NOT GO BACK TO THEM. I hate to go to the dentist, I'd rather go to the GYN dr. :lol: :lol:

I would do both.