Advice for removing and replacing a tooth

[Pebbles167]

And despite urge to do so, I won't be doing it with a set of pliers.

My upper second premolar filling has fell out, taking the rear half of the tooth with it. Looks like I'll need surgery to remove it since there isn't much to grip onto to pull it. This will cost of course (not registered with an NHS dentist) but if it has to be done so be it.

The main concern is that when removed I've been told this will need replacing or my other teeth will fall out (very undesirable), but none of the dentists I've spoken to will even give me a rough ball park figure, and then just bang on about the cosmetic/aesthetic side of it, which frankly I don't give a st about, a block of metal wedged in there would keep me happy as long as it is secure and prevents the teeth around it falling out.

The rest of my teeth are in really good nick, never had any problems, just this one.

I hear dental implants are the way to go, but £2.5k? Jesus..

I'm ranting here, but it's probably because I just want some discussion from actual humans instead of professionals (though obviously that's who I'll be going to at some point).

Any experience with the online filler kits? If I have to fork out big money then fine, but would like to keep it tidy in the meantime.

Cheers in advance for any chatter

[Mr Pointy]

If you've already been told the tooth cannot be crowned & wil have to be extracted then you have a choice of a bridge/denture or an implant - & you'll be lucky to get away with £2.5k as the final total cost. Do you want to mess about with the maintenance associated with a bridge?

[Pebbles167]

Thanks.

I don't know what maintenance a bridge requires. I brush regularly, after meals also when possible but beyond that I've not really had to do anything with teeth so very inexperienced. I'm guessing semi regular visits to the dentist would be required for the bridge?

On that basis, an implant probably seems preferable.

[Ryyy]

I had a tooth shatter and got it done through 111 as it was a sharp edge catching my tongue a lot. Ended up being passed a round a bit as "oo no I can't do that,needs a specialist" got done at a dentist out of town and was in the building about 15 mins and left without my jaggered bit of tooth maybe worth trying? Don't think I had a dentist atm either.

[Mr Pointy]

Pebbles167 said:

Thanks.

I don't know what maintenance a bridge requires. I brush regularly, after meals also when possible but beyond that I've not really had to do anything with teeth so very inexperienced. I'm guessing semi regular visits to the dentist would be required for the bridge?

On that basis, an implant probably seems preferable.

It was explained to me that a bridge had wings which gripped on to the teeth either side of the gap & you could unclip it for cleaning, but that there was the possibility of long-term damage to those teeth. I eneded up with an implant.

[NDA]

I am in the middle of this at the moment as it happens.... a tooth split and then broke on the gum line.

The options were to have a bridge - crowning perfectly good teeth either side, or an implant. As I didn't want to damage two good teeth for the sake of a bridge, I'm having an implant.

The post is in, I have waited 3 months and am going in this coming Tuesday for the impression to be taken.

When it's all done the cost is going to be around £4k. Not cheap - but I didn't really shop around.

[muscatdxb]

Implants are really good. I have two and they are perfectly natural, look great, and best of all will never need any more work.

[CrgT16]

Also you can leave the gap post extraction if you are unconcerned about aesthetics of your smile or reduced function.

Your teeth won’t fall out! They may shift into the space overtime (or not) or the opposing one may over erupt but nothing dramatic. Accepting the gap, removable denture, adhesive bridge or conventional bridge and dental implant are the options for a missing tooth. Sometimes orthodontics are an option if your teeth are crowded. You can use the space to sling the crowded teeth.

Listen to your dentist but decide based on what you want to achieve not what your dentist is able to do.

[xx99xx]

Another option is to just do nothing and leave the damaged tooth there. This is what I'm currently doing with 2 split teeth. Mostly due to cost but also due to my fear of dentistry and lack of confidence in anesthetic.

[Mark V GTD]

I’m in this too. Had the second molar from the back (lower) extracted but not done anything to fill the gap. There is a such a thing as single molar denture?

[Pebbles167]

Thanks for the replies all.

NDA said:

I am in the middle of this at the moment as it happens.... a tooth split and then broke on the gum line.

When it's all done the cost is going to be around £4k. Not cheap - but I didn't really shop around.

Wow, that's quite the cost! No way can I justify that right now, but I'd imagine it'll be a good job. Hope it works out.

CrgT16 said:

Also you can leave the gap post extraction if you are unconcerned about aesthetics of your smile or reduced function.

Your teeth won’t fall out!

This is pretty much my hope and what I'll be aiming for if possible.

xx99xx said:

Another option is to just do nothing and leave the damaged tooth there. This is what I'm currently doing with 2 split teeth. Mostly due to cost but also due to my fear of dentistry and lack of confidence in anesthetic.

That's what I first planned, but above the tooth on the gum it occasionally flares up, possibly abscess, something has to happen.

Mark V GTD said:

I’m in this too. Had the second molar from the back (lower) extracted but not done anything to fill the gap. There is a such a thing as single molar denture?

I think the closest would be to have a bridge put in, I looked up a sort of quick clip in tooth but seems implants or bridges are what is done.

[Mr Pointy]

muscatdxb said:

Implants are really good. I have two and they are perfectly natural, look great, and best of all will never need any more work.

You'd have though so but the work will only come with a one year guarantee & that's only on the implant metalwork, not the dentist charges, bone implant costs & costs for a new crown.

You can image how pissed off you would be if the implant cracked after three years & you had to pay again for the whole thing, less a reduced price for the implant itself. That's another six months to wait for the implant removal wound to heal & bone to regrow followed by six months waiting for the implant to take hold before you can finally shell out £1200 for a new crown & get back to eating normally. Do I sound bitter?

Edited by Mr Pointy on Sunday 23 March 15:09

[CrgT16]

The implant won’t fracture on normal circumstances unless it was loaded incorrectly. I mean a restoration too large for size of implant or if you clench your teeth and overload it. Then a occlusal splint would be needed to protect restorations.

What you describe sounds odd. I would know because I have placed and restored thousands of them…

[Mr Pointy]

CrgT16 said:

The implant won’t fracture on normal circumstances unless it was loaded incorrectly. I mean a restoration too large for size of implant or if you clench your teeth and overload it. Then a occlusal splint would be needed to protect restorations.

What you describe sounds odd. I would know because I have placed and restored thousands of them…

The crown loosened slightly so I went to see the dentist & before I'd even sat in the chair he said it was possible that the implant had cracked as they had had several cases of it happening. I wasn't just a one-off.

[CrgT16]

Fair enough, my experience is just different. The ones I placed, so far, this has not happened. I had to remove a few fractured ones though (not placed by me) and they fractured because they were too narrow for the forces on it. It’s simple engineering really.

Glad yours is sorted now by the sounds of it. Maybe there was a bad batch on the ones your dentist used.

[Mr Pointy]

CrgT16 said:

Fair enough, my experience is just different. The ones I placed, so far, this has not happened. I had to remove a few fractured ones though (not placed by me) and they fractured because they were too narrow for the forces on it. It’s simple engineering really.

Glad yours is sorted now by the sounds of it. Maybe there was a bad batch on the ones your dentist used.

Sadly it's not sorted yet as I've only had the extraction of the broken implant done & it's now a six month wait while it heals & the bone builds up again. I did raise the point that if there were several patients suffering failures it was either faulty design, faulty material or faulty procedure but that didn't get me much of a discount.

The extraction process was very much like getting a broken stud out of a cylinder block - very little delicacy about the procedure.

[The Leaper]

My wife is about to be going through a similar process. She has been warned that if she does not do so the adjacent teeth will, in time, move and become loose. She will be has been recommended to have stage 1 surgery to place a single implant, stage 2 surgery to expose the implant after osseointegration, and construction and fitting of an appropriate crown. The total all-in cost has been stated to be £3650. She has agreed to proceed.

This is not the first time she has had this procedure.

R.

[Gareth79]

Regarding removing the broken tooth, I had a similar thing in the autumn and it wasn't a huge problem, but I did need to use the dentist's oral surgeon who came in once or twice a month. From what I gather, a regular dentist can remove a broken tooth but there's a risk of complications which an oral surgeon will have the skills to deal with. Mine broke apart when he did the first yank (which he said was expected), but he worked extremely quickly doing all sorts of stuff and eventually removed it in 3 or 4 pieces. I have a gap and will get an implant at some point, but I'll likely need to have the wisdom tooth behind removed first because it's in poor condition.

[StevieBee]

Been in a similar position.

Firstly, removing the remnant of the broken tooth may not be as painful (physically and financially) as you might imagine. I've had two go and on the second one, my dentist hoyked it out when she was just doing the initial inspection before any anesthetic.

Similarly, I was advised to look at implants for the same reason.

I was quoted £1,700 for an endosteal implant per tooth.

I was going to get this done but an X-ray revealed I don't have sufficient bone where the screw would need to go. This would require some grafting and two minor ops over a 12 month period before I could get the implant done. For which I would need to pay £5k.

So, I've kicked that one down the road and will be a problem for future Steviebee to sort out!

[Gareth79]

StevieBee said:

Been in a similar position.

Firstly, removing the remnant of the broken tooth may not be as painful (physically and financially) as you might imagine. I've had two go and on the second one, my dentist hoyked it out when she was just doing the initial inspection before any anesthetic.

For mine I had no pain at any time before, during or after, it was just very sore for a week or two after. Cost was about £250 I think? Appt was midday and I was out the door before 12:15. No pain, but the sensation, pressure and cracking noises were quite intense!