Root canal failed :)

[willstyle]

Hi All

well needless to say my fear of the dentist has gone and i found a lovely dentist a few months ago and have had two wisdom extractions (one tooth had a massive hole in it for 6 years!! )

i also had a root canal done 8 years ago (i wouldnt let the dentist do an extraction on it). my new dentist said that she really performed a miracle on it basically it was a root canal which was a very thin (2 mm) wall of tooth with a massive filing in the middle.

well was eating today and basically half the "wall" has come away and im just wondering what my options are. Im currently in no pain and i have been fiddling with it to make sure it isnt lose or anything)

Am i likely to get any pain between now and when i can get seen (possibly a week or 2)?

Im assuming that they wont be able to fix it and extraction will have to be performed? then my options would be a replacement of some type?

cheers is advance - go me for not ignoring it!!

 

[brit]

I would think extraction then implant/bridge or maybe build it up again and crown it (after redoing the root canal if necessary).
I'd choose the latter if it were savable but that's just me. Which tooth is it? That changes replacement options maybe.
Even if there is no pain now, there could be soon, so it is best to go along asap. A top-end restorative dentist might be able to save it by moving a few mountains whereas 'any old dentist' might just take a look and say 'let's get rid'.
Sounds like it has already taken a pounding...from the last round of treatment.

Good luck going forward, I can imagine it must be worrying/annoying/disappointing.

 

[Amoreyna]

Hey -

Well, it would really depend on several factors on whether or not you would feel pain. If your current dentist feels safe waiting a little bit then I would just sit back and not worry. If you do feel any pain or there are changes that don't seem right, call them up right away as most dentists (US at least) will see you right away if the case becomes urgent. Otherwise I'd just keep the area clean and personally I would avoid hard or sticky foods on that side of the mouth but that's just me.

It really sounds like you might lose the tooth, but you won't know until you get in and X-ray's and a exam are done. It really depends on what exactly broke and if it's fixable or if you would want to keep patching it if the tooth isn't stable anymore.

There are so many replacement options, depending on where the tooth is. Everything from flippers (upper teeth), many different kinds of partial dentures and of course the gold standard - implants. You and your dentist will have to work out what's best for you.