((((((Alison)))))) <<-- those are hugs

My son fell on his face and broke one of his two big front teeth when he was about 8. It broke in a really weird way -- sort of kitty-cornered.

He had to go to a Children's Hospital dentist in Boston (hospital because he had a heart murmur at the time).

What they put on his tooth was something called an an 'acid-etch'. It's sort of like a sleeve that fits over the end of the tooth, then they etch it with a type of acid to turn it white like a tooth.

He had this done when he was 8. When he was about 11, he bit into a candied apple at the Fair, which he knew he should not had done. Apparently, the wearer of an acid-etch tooth can tell by the feeling of pressure whether they should or should not eat something very hard. Anyway, they had to replace the acid-etch. He's now 39 and wearing the same acid-etch.

So, that's my real-life experience with a broken tooth.

Now, myself, I'm older and had periods of not being able to take care of my teeth due to finances and lack of work. So, about a year or so ago I had to go through some major-league renovations. Some of them were "crowns". They file down your tooth and cement an artificial tooth on top of it. I've got two on the side on the big teeth (molars) and one in the front.

Another thing that they can do is called a "temporary bridge". I had this a long time ago. They remove the tooth and make an artificial tooth this is hooked onto the teeth using special wires to the left and to the right. These are removable for cleaning. You cannot tell that you're wearing them.

Then they have what's called a "permanent bridge". This is usually put in to fill a place where there is a missing tooth. Again, they make an artificial tooth to fit into the empty space (it looks like a pearl, it's pretty!!). Then they file down the teeth on the left and on the right and put "crowns". The crowns have the artificial tooth suspended between them. The whole thing is cemented into your mouth. I have two of these. You brush them just like your regular teeth, except that you have to use a special kind of floss to clean underneath the artificial tooth.

Now, the thing about ignoring damage to teeth is that the tooth can die. Then you have to get a root canal. A root canal basically means that they have to remove the root and fill up that remaining hole with a special material that keeps the inside of your tooth cavity clean and germ-free. I have one of these. I always freaked out when I heard the term "route canal" because I always thought it would be major-ly painful. It wasn't. I'm a big chicken at the dentist and this procedure didn't really hurt. That's why you have to have a really good dentist that you trust.

I go to the dental school and get either 3rd year or 4th year students. They're well supervised and they're close to graduating and setting up their own dental practices. I've had really good luck with them and the cost is much less then what a private practice dentist would charge.

As you can see, there are a lot of different options. The dentist will discuss with you which one is the best for you.

Alison, the big thing is you have do something NOW. The black on the tooth could either indicate cavities or it could indicate that the tooth may be starting to die. You have to take care of it now before you get into either bigger or more expensive problems. If teeth get infected, they can cause health problems throughout your entire body.

Good luck. Hugs. I'm proud of you for realizing that you need to take care of your own health and your body and you've started doing that by asking the 'right' questions.

Barb