Tooth help please!

brighthair

2 questions

one - I clench my teeth at night and so have a mouthguard fitted by my dentist, it's a softish plastic one. It's wearing through a bit now and I need to get it replaced. Stupid me lost the mould so it's going to cost me £60. Do I have any other options as they don't seem to be lasting me very long? I mainly clench on one side!

two - I've chipped a tiny bit off my front incisor, sort of down the side so it looks more pointy, what can I have done?
I'm wary as I broke a tooth last year and had filling after filling which kept coming out, eventually the last filling broke off more of my tooth and I had to have it taken out completely
I want to look at the least risky option for fixing it that won't damage it more

BitterAndTwisted

I'd consider seeing a different dentist this time round: why was your broken tooth filled and then extracted rather than crowned? I thought a dentist would explore all alternatives rather than have you lose a tooth

Toothsmith

1 . Hard acrylic bite guard might last you longer, but they need more adjustment and so might be more expensive.

2 . If the tooth is just chipped, as opposed to decayed, then bonding white filling to it shouldn't damage the tooth further at all. Other possibilities will depend on your individual mouth though.

jugglebug

I destroyed my soft splint in a fortnight when I was taking my finals.
I have the hard type now and it is much better.

brighthair

it got taken out because I'm a private p/t and a crown was £300, having it out was £60. It's a back tooth and I decided I could live without it. I'm not a good p/t, get very scared and decided that was the best option. I'll have to ask about the hard splint - I don't mind paying more if it lasts longer

McKneff

Toothsmith, my OH's jaw cracks loudly everytime he opens it to eat and not at anyother time. It drives me mad.
what can be done. one dentist suggested surgery but i think that was going to extremes (sorry to hijack folks)

Toothsmith

If it's a click with no other symptoms, it's probably best left alone.

Surgery isn't done on jaws anymore, as it's been found to do more harm than good in most circumstances.

A well adjusted bite guard might well help.

If he can eat and move it in such a way that he avoids cracking it, then it might well calm down a bit. The 'click' is the jaw popping over a damaged bit of cartledge in the joint (to put it simply), which then rubs it and causes more inflammation, perpetuating the click.

If he can resist/avoid clicking it, it might improve by itself.

McKneff

Thanks toothsmith,
might get him to have a talk to the dentist about a bite guard.
The thing is, it doestn bother him in the least, i dont think he even hears it but
the click drives me nuts. i try a soft cough when i see him just about to bite, to cover the noise he thinks i have a tickly cough now. lol

brighthair

McKneff wrote: »

Toothsmith, my OH's jaw cracks loudly everytime he opens it to eat and not at anyother time. It drives me mad.
what can be done. one dentist suggested surgery but i think that was going to extremes (sorry to hijack folks)

not hijacking - mine cracks every time I open it and thats partly why I wear the guard - it's better since I started wearin it