I have had my front teeth fractured above the gums

Q. I was in an accident on vacation involving a scooter, I fractured my two front teeth well above the gum line and had them almost immediately bonded in once in the emergency room. Upon returning back I had two root canals done on each respective tooth and had the bonding re-done for an ameliorated hold. I went in once a week for almost 3 months and had my root canals scraped and medicated in order to ward off infection. After infection ceased, a specific kind of medicine (used to help fractures heal) was put into each tooth and sealed for roughly two months. After many x-rays done almost bi-weekly it seemed as though the fractures where indeed healing well. After six months of this (all the time still wearing my bonding) the x-rays revealed that while my fractures where nearly healed my body was rejecting the fractured teeth and they were not going to be saved. The next step now (I have been told) is too remove the fractured teeth (extract roots and all), let my gums heal for an x-amount of time and from there possibly go ahead and shave down up 4 teeth (2 incisors and 2 canines at most, possibly only the 2 incisors at least) and have me fitted and prep for a bridge. I understand that a bridge has a negative connotation in the realm of dentistry these days. It last significantly less than implants, does not sustain or promote viable bone in the jaw, and need endless maintenance. My worries are the following: Given the area of my injury, I understand it is difficult to put in implants (the nose is directly above, there is a greater risk of infection etc. etc.), but would I still be better off opting for the implants? would the bridge work well for me in this situation? I am 23 years old and in good health, I just want to be able to smile again without looking like I have a white caterpillar with a silver streak crawling across my mouth. I am running low on patience and want to put an end to this. Please advise and thank you for your time and consideration, Daniel Martinez

A. An Xray of the area would answer many of your questions. In principle Implants do sound to be one of the better options, a clinical exam ( with Xrays ) would provide a clearer picture.

Bridges are not necessarily bad, some bridges are supported by implants, however dentists are a little more cautious about cutting down healthly teeth for crown retained bridges.

Implants are one of the most predictable restorations but still require maintenance.

the success of implant therapy will depend on maintaining a normal bone volume in the area that was traumatised after the roots are removed. I would expect a treatment time of 6-8months to final restorations.

If you would like a preliminary clinical assesment with a dentist ( no charge ) please contact me as below

Dr Rob Tennet
www.e-dentalpractice.co.uk
stjohns.dental@btconnect.com
0121 643 0610

dr rob tennet

Dr Rob Tennet
St Johns Dental Practice
www.e-dentalpractice.co.uk
Tel: 0121 643 0610
18 Bennett’s Hill
Birmingham B2 5QJ

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This post was published on Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 at 8:15 amand is filed under Dr Tennet's Answers, Experts Answers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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