I’m usually pretty good at thinking of things I might have on hand for fixing things, but so far I haven’t come up with any solutions for this one.
A piece chipped off my upper back molar and left a sharp edge that’s scraping my cheek and making it sore, and the last thing I want to do right now is go to the dentist. I’m trying to think of something I could use that would form to the tooth and dull the edge, while not slowly (or rapidly, either!) poisoning me.
Any ideas?
I dunno, dental work like this is pretty important, this is something I’d probably break isolation for. Most modern dentists offices are really sterile places, and my dentist has a bunch of covid policies in place to make it so you don’t have more than one person waiting in the lobby etc. I’d wear gloves and a mask and brave it if I had a broken tooth.
I have had so many dental issues over the years. Short term solution is dental wax or paraffin.
The tooth is fine, for now – it’s just a part of the enamel that came off (ugh, old age!) and it doesn’t hurt or anything. It’s where it’s scraping my cheek raw that hurts!
And the nearest dentist is right in the middle of our nearest outbreak area. I know they’re probably totally safe, but I’d be sitting there looking out the window at the hospital where all the COVID cases are – ick.
If I get desperate enough, Hubs will brave town and go get me some of that. I’m hoping to find something in the house that I can use, though – with Gkid here I’m especially paranoid about either of us venturing out and bringing the virus back with us.
You could hit it with a Dremel with a fine grit burr. 
(I’d just go to the dentist, assuming you can get an appointment.) 
I’m not sure I could get a Dremel back there without tearing up my cheek more than it already is! 
I could try some sandpaper, though…
I was really kidding…but…it’s absolutely okay to use something like sandpaper if you autoclave it. I recently saw that the Insta-Pot can be used for autoclaving, and actually works better to kill germs, so dig out the pot and put some fine grit sandpaper in there to sterilize it.
My brother (Moh’s surgeon) used some garden variety 100 grit on me to reduce a scar on my nose. (Without anesthetic, since he conveniently forgot to bring that with him. Little jerk.) Hurt worse than the surgery.
Dental wax, the kind used to coat braces. I’m wearing a chunk of it now thanks to a cracked crown and a delayed appointment. More than once, that’s saved me from an agonizing few days after a broken tooth.
Just pinch off a small piece, roll it back and forth between your fingers until it’s warm and softened, and then mold it over and around the damaged tooth. Bite down gently to make an impression to fit the other teeth, then scrape away any excess.
Okay, I have searched some of the more logical nooks and crannies of my folks’ house. I have not found dental wax, but I found facial wax (for removing hair) and non-toxic modeling clay for kids. Maybe one or the other of those will work.
I also found a cable tracer, a small belt sander, 3 old UPSs, a beautiful carved antique wooden long-handled hand mirror, a box of wood stains, a cold soldering iron, a package of bearings (whee, fidget spinners!), a nose hair trimmer, a canister vacuum I remember my mom using when we lived in Waco (we left there when I was 4!), and a giant toolbox containing every size of drill bit you could possibly imagine (SCORE!).
It’s been a productive morning.
Hah! Mine (not @timjedwards) fixed a ganglion cyst for me one time. He very sensibly DIDN’T use the old technique he told me about, where the doctor would pick up a large medical book on the pretense of looking up the treatment, and then slam it down unexpectedly on the cyst to burst it. 
A diamond fingernail file could knock the sharp edge off.
Ooh, I think I saw one of those…
small piece of a sterile cotton wool thingy.
I can think of one way, but you’d need to cut out the bottom of your gf to do it.
a nail file might do the trick. I recall doing the same on a chipped tooth a few years back when far from care. Why I had a nail file is beyond me.
They are invaluable for sanding small parts…
This is possibly the most disturbing comment thread on the Internet.
That is what I have used for years to take the edge off things, To clear up any infection caused by the tongue or cheek getting sliced or filling falling out and the nerve exposed is a toothbrush filled with Everclear and applied to the hurt areas puts the nerve to sleep (though not immediately) and acts like a flamethrower on any cell it touches. You have lots of cells and can make more, but the critters do not.
Diamond drills and tools also.
not in the machine but just back and forth by hand.