Whoever you go to, ask about the possibility of having it filed down and protected with a temporary crown. If it's a molar, you'll -definitely- want that crown. If it's a front tooth, you'll have to deal with sensitivity if it's not protected, but filed. It also depends on how badly it was chipped and whether or not there are hairline cracks leading from the chip toward the dentin and pulp beneath the surface of the enamel.
I also recommend that you do NOT take the attitude of "tell the dentist what to do" unless you are more qualified than the dentist in the art of dentistry. On the other hand, don't just sit there and let him/her do whatever, without taking a pro-active stance on your own dental health. If you don't understand a term, or a diagnosis, ASK for an explanation. Ask them to show you the x-ray and for them to explain what EXACTLY they're seeing/interpreting, when they tell you what's going on and why they recommend whatever they're recommending.
Remember also, that teeth are not "necessary" from a strictly medical standpoint. People can eat and live fine without teeth. Having a bad tooth that is allowed to fester, however, CAN become a medical problem when it degrades into infection and starts affecting the tissue and bone of your jaw.
Preserving the tooth is always better than replacing it, if you have a choice. And by preserving, that can mean a root canal and crown, as opposed to replacing with a denture or implant.
You are ultimately responsible for the final decisions about your dental health, but you can't make those decisions without someone who actually knows about dentistry. That would preferably be an actual dentist (though some dental techs, if you find the right ones, often know as much about dentistry as the dentists themselves). The decision-making process should be part of a relationship between dentist and patient, not an adversarial relationship of a patient vs. a dentist. If you find yourself confused, or without answers, or with conflicting information, it's your duty to ask questions until you have the answers. They might not be the answers you were hoping for, but I'd rather hear the truth about my health, than a falsehood - even if the falsehood will save me lots of money.
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