tooth starting to crumble :S

chich22

hello,

im really starting to freak out, somethings up with my tooth and its worrying the crap out of me.

ok so a few days ago i wake up and whilst laying around in bed i start playing with my teeth with my tongue. i felt an edge with my tongue where the tooth meets the gum so i put my finger in there to see what it was about...a little piece of my front tooth crumbles away. its from the back of my front tooth, where the gum meets the tooth. anyway i didnt think anything of it...probably just a little small piece of food or something that was caught.

so today im sitting down watching a movie and my tongue starts playing around with my teeth again...i notice a little gaping edge from my tooth and the gum with my tongue, finger goes in, another tooth bit comes out from the same tooth :S now i've got this millimeter gap at the back of my gum line, its freaking me the out.

if it helps, the pieces of tooth that are coming out seem to be like a layer of tooth, so my tooth is still in there, it looks like a normal shape and all..just when i open wide in front of a mirror and look back there i can see a little missing part of the back layer / outer shell.

i'll book an appointment in with the dentist tomorrow, but being christmas in a few days, chances are im going to be waiting a couple of weeks. anyone have any idea whats going on? im only 22, dont smoke, my teeth arent all black and disgusting (although not exactly white either), i used to brush my teeth everyday until recently, i dont have any tooth pain at all, just pieces keep falling out.

...just to mention, i have never had any other problems with my teeth besides being punch in the mouth about 6-7 years ago which chipped this tooth and the tooth on top of it when they smashed together. only the corners are slightly chipped.

anyone have any ideas or anything to sooth my nerves ?

thanks

Tigerlilley1980

This happened to me before and it turned out it was just plaque and not the actual tooth if that helps at all. The gap will probably feel bigger than it actually is aswell!

chich22

hi Tigerlilley, thanks for your reply.

the piece that came out tonight was like a dark yellow/brown with black around the tip. my teeth are no where near that colour (at least from what i can see from the front), but its still really unnerving. also i tried biting down on this little piece (dont ask me why) and it crumbled into a sand type grain without too much pressure being applied. i can feel this gap at the back of my tooth and im scared to even go anywhere near it for fear of the back of my tooth completely falling off

..also if it makes any difference, my nose tends to pack up shop during the night, so i usually sleep with my mouth open. in the mornings i usually get this gunk taste in my mouth, however a quick gargle and 5 minutes later it goes back to tasting like normal.

HannahIOW

I get the exact same thing, it's tartar. My dentist always tells me off for not looking after my teeth properly but no matter how much I brush them (with elec toothbrush) it just comes back I have a metal dental pick which I use to get off what I can, in between trips to the hygienist. And yes it does feel like a gaping hole when it's gone lol

Toothsmith

I would agree with the others. It's most likely some tartar falling off, but it's good to go and see the dentist and get it all properly cleaned off.

chich22

hey guys, thanks for all the replies.

there was actually another reply made by Bronnie which has since disappeared, however in the time it took me to write all this up, new messages have appeared.

the new part of the tooth (which has been uncovered) feels just like normal tooth. i know the feeling your talking about because when my teeth were actually chipped, the new area felt weird and i had to get used to it. i dont get that same feeling with this..although im scared to play around with it too much just in case it actually is my tooth and i cause more of it to fall apart.

looking in the mirror at the back of my teeth i can see that the front four teeth look the same. the top of the teeth are a sort of translucent colour, then as it goes down (closer to the gum) they get yellower, then at the base of the teeth there is this pastie cream colour lining right at the base of the teeth touching the gum. the rest of my teeth dont have this creamy colour lining at the base of them, just the front four.

ive just tried googling some pics to show what mine look like...this is the closest i've found (EDIT: apparently new members are not allowed to post links, however if you google images "tartar tooth", the 13th picture with the little blue arrow pointing is the image i was referring too), although i dont have any gaps between teeth themselves, the yellow part on the back of the teeth are no where near that bad/grose, however i do have a smaller line of that cream colour stuff around the base of my four front teeth. according to the page i found this picture on, this is called tartar?

what would probably be the smartest thing for me to do asap? i have every intention of making a dentist appointment in the morning, however like i said, being christmas and all, chances are its going to be at least a few days before im seen. would it be a good idea for me to floss or try and chip away from the rough surface i can still feel in my mouth? mouth wash? thorough brushing? or just totally leave it alone in case its my actual tooth?

...also im ashamed to say that the last time i was at the dentist was when i was a child...he told me i had perfect teeth so i never really bothered to see him again :S

Toothsmith

Don't try and do anything yourself. No-one ACTUALLY knows what it is yet.

Get to see a dentist as soon as you can, but don't panic.

chich22

yep, that sounds like a good plan. many thanks for all the replies guy

Isklar

Tigerlilley1980 wrote: »

This happened to me before and it turned out it was just plaque and not the actual tooth if that helps at all.

I read this as 'it was just PLAGUE' ...:o :rotfl:
And I haven't started on the Baileys yet...:o

OP, hope you get an appointment soon. And when you've been, be sure to start flossing regularly!!

Bronnie

chich22 wrote: »

hey guys, thanks for all the replies.

there was actually another reply made by Bronnie which has since disappeared, however in the time it took me to write all this up, new messages have appeared.


:S

Ha ha! Yes, you were quick. I posted then thought I'd better go and google that I'd got the term tartar spelt right and not mixed up with something else and make a div of myself! ..............by the time I got back, the other posts were there and said it all anyway!!:rotfl:

Savvy_Sue

chich22 wrote: »

im only 22, dont smoke, my teeth arent all black and disgusting (although not exactly white either), i used to brush my teeth everyday until recently, i dont have any tooth pain at all, just pieces keep falling out.

Sorry, but this bit really stood out to me - why, in the name of all that's tooth-shaped, did you STOP brushing your teeth every day? And why would you then be surprised if there's a build up of gunk if you don't brush daily, or that your teeth are starting to fall apart?

I just can't go to bed without doing mine. And it's not just habit, my mouth doesn't feel right unless I've done it.