My tooth just broke, and I'm not sure how to access the help I need

Raslin

As per the title... I've had issues with my teeth for years. Didn't take care of them, biting me in the ass now. It doesn't hurt right now, but it's a very bad break... enough so that I'm scared to eat. I live in california, and currently have medi-cal. As far as I can tell, this means I have some form of dental coverage, but it's extremely hard to figure out. It took me a year to get help for mental health issues I had, and I can't wait that long for this dental... semi-emergency, I guess. If anyone is familiar with this system, or can help guide me better, I'd love to hear it. I'm going to start calling places tomorrow morning(though most will probably be closed till monday).

Mulletude

http://www.denti-cal.ca.gov/WSI/Bene.jsp?fname=ProvReferral

May help you in the search so you aren't just calling dentists at random

Roe

You may just want to skip the insurance and walk into a dentist and pay out of pocket.

If you don't have the cash, I suggest getting a credit card and paying with that if you can.

CuddlyCuteKitten

I can't help you with your insurance questions but if you need any advice about the dental situation I can help.

It's obviously not good that a tooth breaks and of course that's something you should fix fairly fast. However if it doesn't hurt right now you do have the time to at least some research about it. So as long as you consult a dentist within a week or two the small wait is unlikely to be critical for your tooth. However if you do start feeling pain you should of course seek help earlier.

I'd also strongly recommend to do a checkup as well if your insurance doesn't just cover emergency dental care or if you can afford it. Your other teeth could be perfectly fine but it's a lot cheaper and easier to fix cavities before they get big enough to cause a fracture.

Lastly brush the tooth as long as you can do it without pain and try to brush carefully even if hurts a little. It might seen redundant but keeping it clean and having fluoride there will seriously slow down the decay. If it does hurt (feels "cold") many pharmacies sell temporary do it yourself filling materials that you can press down into the cavity in order to cover it a little bit. It doesn't hold up more than a few days but it usually helps the symptoms and food getting stuck if you have to wait a few days for an appointment.

ceres

My crown broke about 6 hours after you posted this, I shit you not.

Sterica

If you aren't covered I recommend trying any local universities to see if they have a dental program. I dunno if something like a broken tooth will be covered there, but they are a cheaper option.

JaysonFour

If it's just a dental hygiene clinic, they'll do things like cleanings, molar sealant, x-rays, and bitewings- no fillings or anything. OP might just have to find a dentist and get it taken care of.

As far as pain management, use the stuff like Ambesol sparingly- after you kill the pain with it, toss back some painkiller (Tylenol, Motrin, Aleve, etc.) to kill it for a longer time. Take the maximum dose you can.

If the bad tooth is up front, that's going to stink, just eat things that are soft and don't require a good amount of chewing or biting. If it's a molar, don't chew on that side. Food is notorious for molding around a bad tooth and managing to apply pressure right to the place that will make you scream out loud- you also don't want food particles getting in there to lodge and making it worse, so hit it with mouthwash- either an antibacterial like Listerine to keep it clean, and maybe a flouride-laced mouthwash to keep it from growing and making what's there stronger.

Reverend_Chaos

I worked for a Dental insurance company for 5 years. The above advice is solid. A few things to add.

Get this taken care of urgently, even if you are not in pain, because everything will take twice as long as you think, and if you broke a tooth, you'll almost certainly be in pain sooner or later.

Ask around, because dental office rates vary widely. The guy who charges the most is not necessarily the best, and the cheapest guy might be the cheapest for a reason.

If you have the time, get everything pre-approved through your insurance. Call your insurance and ask questions about your coverage. Ask them to e-mail you the pre-approval paperwork. Look through it, it will probably be confusing, and if so, call the insurance back and ask questions so you know how it's going to work and what you will be financially responsible for.

Most people can get a care credit account (high interest rate credit card that pays your dental bill) and some Dental offices will require it (They want their $$$) because (most of them) require payment at time of service.

Raslin

Really appreciate the advice, everyone. It turns out that it was as simple as me going into a dentist office that takes denti-cal, and I have an appointment on wednesday. I'll make sure to follow your advice until then.