Tooth Chipping/Cavity?!


Question:

Tooth Chipping/Cavity?

I know this is pretty straight forward but I tend to be a bonafide worry wart most of the time. I was touching one of my teeth with my tongue when I found a space between my gum and the top of the tooth that seems to be chipping when pressure is applied. I saw with further inspection that if I put my fingernail in the gap I could feel the tooth still there and in tact--plus when wiggled it stays firmly there with no movement and it doesn't hurt. I know most cavities don't hurt at first but I have never had one on the front of my tooth (one of the teeth further to the back though) so I wasn't quite sure what to think of it. I've just gotten a bill for my recent $900+ dollar root canal and don't know if my check book could sustain such another blow. I was hoping to avoid the dentist again. Please any advice would be much appreciated.


Answers:

Was the root canal on the tooth that feels chipped? I'm not exactly sure how to answer this without knowing the answer to my question, but I'll tell you what I think it is.
It sounds like you have erosion areas which, are called abfractions. Without knowing your age I'm going to take a guess and say over 30. It takes many years to get these clefts in the teeth. We used to think it was from brushing with a hard brush, but now we associate them with Bruxing which is clenching and grinding your teeth. Most people do this in the sleeping hours, and some even during the day. The dentist can place a tooth colored filling in this erroded area if it is deep enough. If this answer is true for your problem you would benefit from wearing an appliance while you sleep to help keep your teeth apart. If the tooth is the root canal tooth, then I would suggest it needs a crown, and this cleft area would then be covered.




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