Portion of tooth broke off a couple of weeks ago; there was no pain. a large piece has now broken off as well - still no pain. how could this happen? there is just a small stub left at the gum line. i'm afraid to ask how expensive this repair will be.

See : See your dentist for an examination and xray to determine if the tooth is indeed salvageable. If the tooth did not have a previous root canal (which removes the nerve) the other likely possibility is that the tooth nerve has died (... We call it necrotic). The necrotic tissue within the canal over time can lead to an infection, pain and swelling. Don't ignore it now because it doesn't hurt. At a minimum find out what treatment is necessary and if it is too extensive or expensive consider having the tooth extracted (as opposed to waiting for it to develop into a bad toothache).

Let : Let me guess you are over fifty, if not forgive me. The nerve chamber inside our teeth is filled with the pulp, a collection of nerves and blood vessels and special cells that lay down dentine called ondontoblasts. Odontoblasts continue to function laying down secondary dentine in response to stimulii like excessive temperature or irritation from filings or just the passage of time. Sometimes this can progress to the point where there is no longer and nerve left at the top or coronal part of the tooth, and the tooth then get very brittle over the years and can break off and the nerve chamber not be exposed. This may be your situation. Another possibility is that the nerve died slowly and the end of the tooth its root tip in the bone may be sealed off. You will need root canal therapy and a post and crown to build the tooth back up. Do please go and see your dentist, dr neil mcleod dds dentistry that lasts - quality that counts.