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any way to avoid extraction?

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sarako7

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Apr 26, 2019
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I had a root canal before but about a third of the molar ( upper jaw) broke off, is split in half, loose after gum infection and has a lot of plaque stuck to it. I know it would be crazy to think there is any other way around the problem other than the extraction my dentist said she'll do but is there any way at all to save this? To have a molar extracted and replaced by an implant at 16 is terrifying and just embarrassing especially because this was totally preventable if my anxiety hadn't kept me from regularly visiting the dentist. I read that 16 might be too young for an implant after the extraction but I also read that bone loss and teeth misalignment and other scary stuff will happen if I don't get it, plus I need to get braces to fix my overbite and I read that implants can't move. I'm terrified about having to pull the tooth out or get an implant that I cant sleep at night and the fact that I have all of these problems at 16 only is not just beyond humiliating but is also making me really anxious and depressed. I don't know what to do and my dentist makes me feel bad about my problems that I'm scared to go to her again or tell her about all of this. I understand the severity of the situation and take full responsibility but i just can't accept the fact that I have to pull the tooth out, is there really no other way at all and if there isn't is there any hope all of this can be fixed? Sorry this is so long.
 
I believe the dentists here mentioned that there is some sort of partial denture you can use that would be a temporarily solution. It would stop any issue you could have from missing the tooth and once you are ready for an implant, you can get it. I see you said your dentist mentioned the extraction, but I don't see they mentioned an implant.
 
Hi sarako7,

your post is not at all too long and hopefully a dentist replies soon and gives you some insights into the dental part of your question. There is, however another important part to your post: your anxiety. Talking about treatment options and how to solve dental problems is one thing but as long as you do not trust your dentist, feel like your dentist makes you feel bad about your problems, are scared to go back to see your dentist and do not feel like attending regularly, none of the dental solutions will work long term. So while your question is about this tooth and how to save it, it might be a good idea to take a look at your anxiety and how to tackle this in order for you to feel happy with your dental health in the future. By the way, implants need to get taken care of so seeing a dentist regularly, having healthy gums, getting cleanings and being really fit with home care is a part of that, which brings me back to the idea of finding a nice dentist you feel really comfortable with.. do you have any choice when it comes to choosing a dentist?
 
I believe the dentists here mentioned that there is some sort of partial denture you can use that would be a temporarily solution. It would stop any issue you could have from missing the tooth and once you are ready for an implant, you can get it. I see you said your dentist mentioned the extraction, but I don't see they mentioned an implant.
I’m not a dentist, but maybe the braces you’ll be getting would help close up any gap you might have from an extraction? I would discuss this with both your dentist and orthodontist. That seemed to be the advice I got from an Endodontist I saw about getting an implant for a 2nd molar. I see an orthodontist in the 10th to see what he says. Just a possibility, I don’t know your exact situation but with braces usually they need to extract teeth anyway to make room.
 
One of my friends daughters had to have her lower 2nd molar extracted, along with her wisdom teeth, as the wisdom tooth caused issues with the molar. She was 17 and had braces at the time. My friend was worried about the gap and her missing a tooth at 17. She asked about an implant. They told her that they would not do an implant until she was 18, but that the teeth would not shift much in a few years, and that they usually shift forward, not back, so that place wouldn't be affected. She just had her implant put in a few months ago, and still has her braces on. They just didn't attach the braces to the implant.
 
You can't do implants until it's absolutely certain that growth has finished, 16 is far too young, for most males it would be at least 21, maybe a bit younger for females. The issue is that the jaw grows around the implant and the implant gets submerged, which is no use.

Which molar is it that you're losing? If it's a first molar then it would be fairly trivial for an orthodontist to bring the second molar forward into the gap. If it's a second molar then I really really wouldn't worry about the gap at all.
 
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