Dental Work: Implant or Bridge? (1 Viewer)

[Da Guru]

2 years ago I cracked one of my rear molars right down to the gum on an olive pit. Dentist tried a crown but I still felt a little discomfort all the time when eating. Was going to go the root canal route but he says the tooth can`t be saved at this point as there was too much initial damage.

So he said the tooth needs to be extracted. The last thing I want is to get a rear molar extraction so i have been putting it off for 6 months, but the time has come as it is annoying.

Options are a bridge or an implant.

Right now I am leaning toward a bridge as they process seems much easier and can be done in 2 visits. But I have not ruled out an implant yet.

Advice? TIA

 

[Chemical X]

seems weird you couldn’t root canal with the crown.

 

[jwb]

2 years ago I cracked one of my rear molars right down to the gum on an olive pit. Dentist tried a crown but I still felt a little discomfort all the time when eating. Was going to go the root canal route but he says the tooth can`t be saved at this point as there was too much initial damage.

So he said the tooth needs to be extracted. The last thing I want is to get a rear molar extraction so i have been putting it off for 6 months, but the time has come as it is annoying.

Options are a bridge or an implant.

Right now I am leaning toward a bridge as they process seems much easier and can be done in 2 visits. But I have not ruled out an implant yet.

Advice? TIA

I have/had several bridges. A few things to know:

They work on / quasi destroy two perfectly good teeth to put in the bridge.

They are NOT permanent by any stretch. They generally have a shelf life of like 10-15 years. And when one of the teeth holding the bridge goes bad, you lose two teeth (the one you are losing, plus the fake bridge tooth). In other words, for most folks, they kick the can down the road and are a ticking time bomb.

They never told me they were permanent when I got them, but they kind of alluded to it. And I didn't think much of it.

Bridges in my early 40's turned into a pretty lousy 2023 with dental work, and a partial in my late 50's.

 

[Irish3]

Get the implant, they will last longer than you do. A way better dental decision

 

[Irish3]

seems weird you couldn’t root canal with the crown.

Not really, if the tooth was cracked below the gum line, it's impossible to save any remaining tooth.

 

[johnnycakes]

Implant all the way... those bridges put stress on the adjacent teef. Maybe if you were elderly with only a few years to live, I'd go with a bridge, but if you still have some punishment left in store for you, go with the implant.

That said, I remember quite a few years ago I had a toof that broke off below the gumline. I wound up going to an endodontist who did the root canal. He did a post and core, too, so the crown of the toof could be built up around that.... finally, I got the crown. It's been solid for at least twenty years since... probably closer to 25 years or more.

Post and Core: Candidates, Procedure, Pros and Cons, and More

Post and core is a dental restoration procedure to salvage a tooth that has lost part of its internal structure. Learn more about post and core.

www.healthline.com

 

[steelerfan1]

2 years ago I cracked one of my rear molars right down to the gum on an olive pit. Dentist tried a crown but I still felt a little discomfort all the time when eating. Was going to go the root canal route but he says the tooth can`t be saved at this point as there was too much initial damage.

So he said the tooth needs to be extracted. The last thing I want is to get a rear molar extraction so i have been putting it off for 6 months, but the time has come as it is annoying.

Options are a bridge or an implant.

Right now I am leaning toward a bridge as they process seems much easier and can be done in 2 visits. But I have not ruled out an implant yet.

Advice? TIA

I had this and went with option C. just left the hole there once it was extracted.

 

[johnnycakes]

2 years ago I cracked one of my rear molars right down to the gum on an olive pit. Dentist tried a crown but I still felt a little discomfort all the time when eating. Was going to go the root canal route but he says the tooth can`t be saved at this point as there was too much initial damage.

So he said the tooth needs to be extracted. The last thing I want is to get a rear molar extraction so i have been putting it off for 6 months, but the time has come as it is annoying.

Options are a bridge or an implant.

Right now I am leaning toward a bridge as they process seems much easier and can be done in 2 visits. But I have not ruled out an implant yet.

Advice? TIA

I had this and went with option C. just left the hole there once it was extracted.

Speaking of dentistry as well as the official FBG cheapskate, whatever happened to The Dentist?

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

2 years ago I cracked one of my rear molars right down to the gum on an olive pit. Dentist tried a crown but I still felt a little discomfort all the time when eating. Was going to go the root canal route but he says the tooth can`t be saved at this point as there was too much initial damage.

So he said the tooth needs to be extracted. The last thing I want is to get a rear molar extraction so i have been putting it off for 6 months, but the time has come as it is annoying.

Options are a bridge or an implant.

Right now I am leaning toward a bridge as they process seems much easier and can be done in 2 visits. But I have not ruled out an implant yet.

Advice? TIA

I had this and went with option C. just left the hole there once it was extracted.

I wouldn't do this. There will be no support for the tooth next to the hole. Not good.

 

[Don Quixote]

I went implant and no regrets. If expect lots of life left to live, I was told implant best way to go for longer-term.

 

[steelerfan1]

2 years ago I cracked one of my rear molars right down to the gum on an olive pit. Dentist tried a crown but I still felt a little discomfort all the time when eating. Was going to go the root canal route but he says the tooth can`t be saved at this point as there was too much initial damage.

So he said the tooth needs to be extracted. The last thing I want is to get a rear molar extraction so i have been putting it off for 6 months, but the time has come as it is annoying.

Options are a bridge or an implant.

Right now I am leaning toward a bridge as they process seems much easier and can be done in 2 visits. But I have not ruled out an implant yet.

Advice? TIA

I had this and went with option C. just left the hole there once it was extracted.

I wouldn't do this. There will be no support for the tooth next to the hole. Not good.

Oral surgeon and my dentist didn’t feel it would be a concern. Both said bridges could put more pressure on surrounding teeth for a potential issue though.