Have I made the right choices concerning my damaged front teeth?
I recently broke two of my front teeth in an accident and so far I have had to have 1 removed as it couldnt be saved and currently it has been replaced with a temporary cap which is attached to 3 post. This tooth that has to be removed currently still has the roots and my denstist has already killed off all the nerves before replacing it with the temporary fixture as mentioned above.
On the second tooth which is one of the two front ones,it broke half way which my dentist has fixed with some filling materials that has covered the broken part. After a month from this treatment, I have had to return to get a root canal treatment on this tooth as it was giving me a lot of problems. My dentist after hearing my description of the pains as well as my xrays had given me two options which was to do a root canal or provide me with some antibiotics for a couple of months to see the reaction. I had opted for a root canal as I thought that down the line I will probably have to get it done anyway as my teeth had broken half way and the nerves had been exposed. Now I dont know if I had made the right decision by opting for a root canal this early and the thought of having to deal with discolorations etc had been really disheartening. Please advise if I did make the right choice, I am awaiting my next round of review so I could get it crowned and I wondering if it is also a good idea to get it crowned this early as the current fixture placed on it is not giving me to much problems.
My last question is this, according to my dentist the tooth that he has removed which I had mentioned above can be replaced with a crown that can attach to middle tooth that I had broken which will also be crowned. he has suggested that I pull out the root and have this procedure done. Is this the same as having a bridge??furthermore I had wanted a post and core done but he had advised against it as there hasnt been much teeth left after he had pulled it out and whatever is left is above the gum line and any post and core treatment will require that they pill off part of the gum to get it done. I had sort a second opinion from another dentist and he had advised that it could be possible to still do a post and core. Now I am confused as to what I need to get done. I want something done so that I wont have to worry about it falling off or giving me any problems in the next few years and so therefore would appreciate any advise that could give me some comfort and direction on what procedure to undertake before I make any decisions. Thanks
salvaging something from a bad situation usually involves consideration of fine details, the direction of the fracture the strength and direction of the biting forces and the general gum and tooth decay.
Followeing first principles I treat most cases by salavaging what I can to keep options open. Once the initial stabilisation has been assessed I would plan the definitive treatment. Most cases of infection following trauma would be due to infected residual dead nerve tissue, and root canal treatment is needed in these cases. antibiotics alone will not resolve the problem until root canal has been completed.
Regards Rob
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