Broken Front Tooth....what to do???

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2 total messages Started by Patricia Emily Thu, 28 Jan 1993 03:14

#43

Author: Patricia Emily
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 03:14

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		WHAT TO DO ABOUT A BROKEN TOOTH???

	My sister injured her front upper tooth as a child.  The nerve in the tooth
	atrophied and died over the years.  Now the problem is that the whole tooth
	fell out.  She had it "glued" in, but it is not a long-term solution.

	She is looking for a conservative, long-term solution.  She was told about
	teeth that are "screwed" into the bone of the tooth socket.  However, she
	was told that this is painful, and may have other problems associated with
	it.  She mentioned another solution ( a partial??) maybe, but I can't remember 
	at the moment.

	I am posting this hoping for some information, or someone with a similar experience.
	She is looking for the most conservative approach possible (i.e. no surgery, or
	painful prosthetics, etc.)  

	Please excuse my incomplete knowledge of the dental technology.  I'm hoping some
	one can supply some information, or resource I could investigate.

	Thank You!

Re: Broken Front Tooth....what to do???

#58

Author: David Dodell
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 14:08

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pce9202@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Patricia Emily) writes:

> 	fell out.  She had it "glued" in, but it is not a long-term solution.

Never heard of such a procedure.

> 	She is looking for a conservative, long-term solution.  She was told about
> 	teeth that are "screwed" into the bone of the tooth socket.  However, she
> 	was told that this is painful, and may have other problems associated with
> 	it.  She mentioned another solution ( a partial??) maybe, but I can't rememb
> 	at the moment.
> 	I am posting this hoping for some information, or someone with a similar exp
> 	She is looking for the most conservative approach possible (i.e. no surgery,
> 	painful prosthetics, etc.)  

There are three basic methods of replacing teeth,

removable prosthesis
fixed prosthesis
implants

Implants are not painful, except for possibly the surgical portion, but
like any surgery, the pain diminishes in a couple of days.
Statistically the success rate of implants is running at 95%+ over 5
years.  They can not be used in all cases, you need to have adequate
bone structure, no chronic disease (ie diabetics are usually not good
candidates), etc.

Removable consists of items such as a partial denture.  I always
consider this the treatment of last choice for several reasons.

    (1) You can not achieve the esthetics quality of the other two
        methods.

    (2) Much more bulk then the other two materials.  To replace teeth
        there is a metal framework usually with acrylic teeth.  There
        are also "clasps" that are used to hold the partial in place.
        These clasps usually cause problems with the other teeth over
        a long period.

     (3) Fixed is usually done two ways, a conventional bridge with
         which means that the teeth next to the missing tooth are
         prepared (shaped) smaller to allow for a crown (cap), with
         the missing tooth linked to the adjacent teeth as one unit.

         In some cases, you can go to a bonding method, where the false
         missing tooth is attached to the adjacent teeth using a bonding
         wing on the inside of the adjacent teeth.  This is called a
         Maryland Bridge or Acid-Etch Bridge.

However, each case is very individualized, and the treatment of choice
varies from person to person.  Some forms of treatment are not ideal on
everyone.   And you need to factor in the financial end, some methods
are much more expensive then others.

Suggest your sister ask her dentists about the various methods I
outlined above, asking which might work in her case.  The dentist might
be able to demonstrate with various models or photographs.

david

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