Did Emergency Dentist Damage My Tooth?

March 15, 2019 8:29 pm | Published by
I don’t usually go to the dentist. I know it’s stupid, but they are never good experiences so I keep finding reasons not to go. I had a toothache, so I had to go in. I called a dentist who sees people in emergencies. He saw me that day and did x-rays. He said he didn’t see anything wrong, but if he just went by the symptoms I was describing, he thinks I have a small crack on a tooth and offered to crown it. I would have done anything at that point to get out of pain and agreed. It’s been two days, I’m still in pain and now the tooth next to the crowned tooth is turning gray. Did the dentist damage it while crowning my other tooth? Amelie Dear Amelie, A woman holding her jaw in need of an emergency dentist It’s great that you were brave enough to see an emergency dentist. Tooth pain can often mean there is an infection somewhere. You don’t want to leave those untreated. That brings me to your gray tooth. When a tooth turns gray it means it is either dead or dying. A dead tooth will harbor bacteria until it is cleaned out with a root canal treatment. It’s important this is taken care of quickly or it can blow up into an infection. I know it sounds crazy in 2019, but people still die from tooth infections. They are easily treated, but many people avoid the dentist until it is too late. I do realize you’ve had bad experiences with dentists and likely have dental anxiety. Because of that, I want you to have a positive experience which can change the tide of your regular dental care. I’d like you to see a sedation dentist. With dental sedation, you can take a simple pill and sleep through your appointment. Many people who struggle with dental anxiety find it changes their life. Going to the dentist becomes a breeze.

Did the Emergency Dentist Damage Your Tooth?

It’s highly unlikely the dentist damaged your tooth during treatment. I can think of three possibilities.
  • A misdiagnosis: It could be the gray tooth was the problem all the time and it was referring pain to the tooth your dentist crowned. Maybe the damage wasn’t visible on the x-ray yet, so he had no way of knowing. If you think it may have been visible, you can ask for the x-ray and take it to another dentist for a second opinion. If he messed up, you can get your money back on the crown.
  • The teeth were injured simultaneously: Whatever traumatized the crowned tooth could have also damaged the gray tooth, but it took longer for that one to show symptoms.
  • Later damage: This possibility is much less likely, but still potential. You could have injured the first tooth, then later something injured the adjacent tooth.
Truthfully, the first two options are much more likely. This blog is brought to you by Lake Oswego Dentist Dr. Mo Saleh.
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