Expert: Mark Bornfeld DDS - 11/29/2007

Question
Last night when flossing the bottom front teeth, I noticed something hard that was retrieved from in between. I checked what appeared to be a piece of tooth. I am aware the condition of those teeth have been negated , being it's been six years since last checkup ( which was fine, although no x-ray because of pregnancy) and the plaque has built up in that area. I panicked of course and talked with a friend who said it could be decalcification and it wasn't the actual tooth. I am wondering if this is an emergency, or a wake up call to get into the dentist for a cleaning. I have no insurance and would like to know what could expect. Thankyou for your time.

Answer
Dear Johanna,

There is no way to infer with any kind of certainty what it is that you are describing from your description alone. However, I suspect that what has happened is that a piece of tartar has broken off, rather than a piece of tooth. This guess is based on the fact that breaking a tooth with dental floss would be difficult if not impossible, unless the tooth were badly damaged by tooth decay-- in which case, you likely would have other symptoms. In addition, the lower front teeth are the most common sites for tartar deposition.

While I don't think this is by any means an emergency, you are no doubt in dire need of a good dental cleaning.

Hope this helps...

Mark Bornfeld DDS
www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY