Any dentists? Please help! *warning - picture attached*

[dkanin]

I'm so afraid of going out unnecessarily because of having 2 conditions that put me in the high risk group for the virus so I'm desperately hoping there's a dentist here who can tell me if this is something that can be left or not.

My crown on a root canal tooth broke a while ago and my dentist said it was ok to leave it as it was just cosmetic. The last couple of days little black bits have been present when I'm brushing my teeth and it looks strange. It feels sensitive right now but that might be because I touched it with the blunt end of my tweezers to try and see if it was soft or hard.

I've attached a picture and I hope this helps make it clearer.

I'd be so grateful if someone could reply because I'm panicking as I'm so scared to go out right now

Can you call the dentist first thing tomoro? They can advise what to do. Most dentist wears masks etc and I’m sure they have high hygiene standards. I know a lot of gps/dentists aren’t seeing anyone. So I don’t know how serious it is.

My OH is a dentist - they can only assess and suggest painkillers. No actual treatment can be done - unless you are lucky enough to be near an emergency treatment place where they have full PPE and can do a full clean down after each patient.

Would recommend contacting your normal surgery and seeing what they suggest - they might be able to accept your photo by email and assess it just to put your mind at ease.

When you touched it was it soft or hard?

www.superdrug.com/Health/Mouth,-Throat-and-Ear/Toofypegs-Dental-Temporary-Repair-Kit/p/10937

I think the advice to contact your own dentist is always good as they will have an x ray and records. In the meantime getting one of these to cover the exposed dentine is sensible.

Firstly, excellent photo well done!
Secondly , don’t worry. The crown is broken and the underlying tooth is exposed, but as you’ve had a root canal it shouldn’t cause you pain.
There is a longer term risk that the exposed tooth will decay so I would buy a temporary filling pack and try and seal over the exposed tooth. It may keep breaking off because it’s a weak material in a high load situation and you may need to keep replacing it, but don’t stress about it. It’s not an urgent problem but good you’ve identified it as you can prevent problems down the line.
Dentists are not to see anyone face to face now, the most desperately urgent patients (severe infection/trauma) will be seen in urgent care hubs. You wouldn’t fit this category. The current advice is to seek advice from your own dental practice via telephone, and yes you can send your photo.