We looked at a recent case in which a patient had to lose a non-restorable tooth. Click here for a quick review. This is a similar case. The implant had been previously placed and was now ready to restore, by making a customized post and crown. We’re taking a photo to match the shade of the other teeth, but you can see the ‘healing cap’ that was placed by the surgeon.
Here’s another photo I recently took in the office.
Here’s a picture of what the tooth looked like:
Not a pretty site. You can see how well the crown fit the existing tooth, but a large portion of the root surface (the tooth UNDER the gum) simply broke off. There are only two options here: Gum surgery to lengthen and expose the fractured area (which we discussed here), or removal of the tooth and placement of a dental implant.
Here’s the tooth we’ve been talking about AFTER the gum surgery. Notice how you can now see the full extent of the fractured area? This will make possible restoring the tooth with a crown. It now has a temporary and is awaiting the new crown.
Back to this poor tooth. This is what’s been done. Since the fracture was so far below the gum this patient had to have the gum tissue moved down the neck of the tooth to expose healthy tooth structure. This procedure is called crown lengthening and is performed by a gum specialist, or periodontist. After the tissue has healed a crown will be placed to stabilize the remaining tooth and replace the lost portion. This should prevent any further damage. Do you have any teeth that look like this? Talk about them with your dentist….maybe you can avoid the problems this patient has had to endure.
I know I’m spending a long time discussing fractured/cracked teeth, but SO many people have them and just don’t know. Think silver fillings are the only reason? Think again..
How many of your teeth have a silver filling like this one?
How many of those same silver fillings have a crack like this underneath?
Ask your dentist about replacing these fillings. And don’t be surprised if some of these teeth end up needing a crown. A new filling in a tooth like this simply isn’t enough support as a long-term restoration.
Katherine asked to have this other filling replaced at the same time. She didn’t like the way it looked and thought it would be easy enough to replace it while she had the cavity taken care of in the tooth in front of it.
Here’s another example. Katherine had a cavity starting in the tooth shown below. You can see the dark shadowing around the old silver filling:
Cracked teeth, gum surgery, possible root canals, pain and discomfort. So how could this have been prevented? Both of these teeth should have been supported and strengthened with crowns YEARS ago! The crowns would bind the teeth together greatly decreasing the pressure inside. This is why we talk about putting a crown on a tooth BEFORE it breaks. It’s more predictable, and could save you the time, money, and pain that this patient had to endure.
