Expert: Jeff Dalin DDS - 7/26/2006

Question
hi there,
i have a simple question about filling a cavity. recently, i discovered that there was a small hole in one of my molars. i wanted to fill it immediately but had to wait because of insurance issues. about 2 weeks after discovering the hole, bits of my tooth are beginning to come out during chewing. morever, the base of my tooth appears to have turned black, inside of where the hole is. can i afford to wait around a week for the insurance policy to come into effect, so should i go to a dentist to rectify the problem immediately. thanks for answering.

Answer
a week is not that long. this is what i would do in the meanwhile. go into your dentist today and have the area evaluated. maybe a temporary can be placed to help hold things together until your insurance kicks in. we dentists are used to working with our patients in this manner. why wait and watch more of the tooth break. just call and have the area evaluated and stabilized and then have the work done permanently when the timing is right. good luck

jeff dalin, dds