Cracked tooth, looking for specialist

saori

I recently found that I have a cracked tooth. I have seen a dentist ( not in Ireland). But he gave me some useless treatment which made the situation worse.

I wish I could find a specialist in the area of cracked teeth in Dublin. But I do not know how to find a skillful and responsible dentist.

I learnt that Dublin Dental Hospital is one of the world's best dental hospital. But on their website, they say they need a referral from my GDP (General dental practitioner ) before I could be put on the waiting list. I do not know any dentist in Ireland. Does that mean if I want to see a specialist I must find a GDP first and ask him/her to give a referral?

I am worried that the private dentist could give me some useless treatments and charge me a lot and be reluctant to refer me to a better dentist or a specialist in a dental hosptial? Could that happen?( Maybe I am worried too much.....)

Please kindly recommend me a specialist in the area of cracked teeth in Dublin ( By the way,which area does "cracked tooth belong to"? )
or please advise me on how to book an appointment with a specialist in Dublin dental hospital and
Thank you so much.

georgieporgy

is the tooth painful? if so, what makes it hurt? is it sensitive to temperature changes?(hot/cold). does it hurt when you bite on it? what tooth is it? does it already have a large filling in it? how are your teeth generally? how old are you? how do you know it is cracked and when did you find out (ie how long ago)?

generally speaking a cracked tooth needs urgent treatment to prevent the situation getting worse but does not necessarily require a specialist. Most dentists should be very capable of dealing with it.

saori

georgieporgy wrote: »

is the tooth painful? if so, what makes it hurt? is it sensitive to temperature changes?(hot/cold). does it hurt when you bite on it? what tooth is it? does it already have a large filling in it? how are your teeth generally? how old are you? how do you know it is cracked and when did you find out (ie how long ago)?

generally speaking a cracked tooth needs urgent treatment to prevent the situation getting worse but does not necessarily require a specialist. Most dentists should be very capable of dealing with it.

Thank you for your reply.:)

I have a molar which is painful when chewing or biting but not sensitive to temperature changes. I went to see a dentist who said my tooth was cracked. But he failed to give me any effective treatment but simply make things worse and wasted me a lot of time (and money, of course). Now I cannot bear the pain so I can only bite on the other side and I began to feel uncomfortable in my jaw joint recently.

So I just want to find a good dentist/specialist who has much experience in the area of cracked teeth in Dublin and do not want to delay my treatment anymore.

fonpokno

Saori, to get ongoing treatment in the Dental Hospital you do need a referral letter but if it's really bad you could always go into their Accident and Emergency department and they may be able to treat you. There's a page here with the services they provide. Other than that you shouldn't need a specialist to treat it.

georgieporgy

It sounds like the dentist tried to fix it with a filling which sometimes might work but usually doesn't. It needs a crown. sometimes dentists are reluctant to recommend crowns on teeth that look good (ie, don't have big fillings) but if it has a hairline crack you should crown it right away to prevent it getting worse. If it's not sensitive to temperature it is unlikely to require root canal treatment.
phone any dentist , tell them you have a cracked tooth and would like a crown. They will examine you to confirm the diagnosis and should be able to sort you out easily.
Don't waste time trying to get into the dental hospital... long waiting lists, christmas holidays, etc.

crown fee varies from 750-1000 euro and is a tax deductible item.

saori

Thank you so much for both of your advice! I decided to find a dentist and say what you've suggested.