Expert: Mark Bornfeld DDS - 7/1/2007

Question
About two and a half weeks ago I took a bad fall (on my face) causing a bad chip in one of my front teeth.  I went to a dentist who took xrays & fixed the chip.  The tooth that chipped feels fine however the one next to it seems to be getting more sensitive to cold, and I am still pretty much unable to do any chewing using my two front teeth (top teeth).  I am starting to get afraid that my tooth is going to fall out or that something else may be wrong.  The dentist said the xrays looked fine & that the root's did not appear to be damaged that I probably caused the tooth that is hurting to move.  I was just wondering if you think there could be something else wrong?  How long does it take for a tooth in this situation to heal?
Thank you in advance,
Karen

Answer
Dear Karen,

The delayed emergence of symptoms such as you describe suggests the development of a pulpitis. This might be the result of a severing of the tiny blood vessels that supply the pulp of the tooth; this would not be conspicuous on an x-ray, and your dentist may need to make the determination of whether there is a pulpitis based on symptoms alone. If you do have a pulpitis, you may need to have a root canal treatment.

I suggest that you return to your dentist for further assessment.

Hope this helps...

Mark Bornfeld DDS
www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY