If you have a tooth pulled, can a 'fake' tooth be put in it's place, like a crown or a cap, or do you need to have part of the original tooth there to do that? One person told me you can have a post and crown put in even if the tooth is gone, and someone else said you can only have a bridge made. Does anyone on here know? I knew someone years ago who had a tooth pulled and had a bridge made, and seems to me he would have had a permanent crown put in instead if it was an option.

Thank-you ahead of time for your help.

You can have a dental implant inserted in the bone and after 6 mos or so have a crown placed over it or you could have the tooth on either side of the missing one crowned and a dummy tooth inserted in between them (called a permanent bridge).

Wow have I been down this road lately. I just had a left lower molar extracted. I had no choice it was root cnaled with no good result. After seeing 3 oral surgeons I decided to have it pulled. At the time of extraction it was indeed "fractured to the the point of no repair" Now the oral surgeon said that if I wanted to I could get an implant and I thought wow GREAT however after asking him about the cost. It will cost about 3 or $4000.00. Uh I cannot do that right now. But an implant is the way to go. I did ask about a bridge, but he said no an implant is the best option. My question is who can afford that. Also I don't know about crowns I have 4 in my mouth and I truly believe they can really mess your bite up. ever since I had my first one about ten years ago my bite has never been right. All the best to you

Thank-you so much both of you. I asked because I'm going today for a tooth that they think has resorbtion, they saw it last week on the x-rays when I went for my cleaning. I was reading up on what exactly this is and none of it is good, seems that most teeth with this have to be extracted, if not right away, eventually down the road. I am hoping that it's either something else that's there, or root canal with crown is an option, but from what I've read, root canal depends on which resorbtion it is. It's in one of my back lower molars that already has a filling, and it appears to be on the side, between the two teeth. I saw the x-ray and you can see a small shadow on the side. It doesn't bother me and I have no pain, but this isn't unusual from what I've read. The thought of losing my tooth is upsetting as I assumed a bridge was the only option I had, the kind you can take in and out yourself that clamps over the teeth on either side? but my dad had one of these and hated it, another friend one had and hated it....they both never wore it unless they had to. My husband had said he thought they could do an implant like you guys say, so I wanted to ask to see if this is indeed an option.....which sounded wonderful until I read what one of you was quoted for cost. This is essentially a crown, correct? I never paid that much, I think the one I had done was $700. But I will find out today exactly what is wrong with my tooth and what he finds.

Thanks so much, I appreciate it.

Options for replacing a missing tooth:
Maryland Bridge - this is where an appliance is made where you have an artificial tooth that has two medal wings on either side of it. This appliance is cemented to the lingual (tongue) side of both teeth on either side of the extraction site. (Real tooth, artifiicial tooth, real tooth) The artificial tooth is made to match your natural teeth. It looks just like a real tooth, but is attached to the teeth on either side of it.

Bridge - With this procedure, each tooth on either side of the extraction site is prepped for a crown placement. A temporary crown is placed on each tooth. When the bridge comes back from the lab, the crowns are then cemented onto each tooth and the artificial tooth fits into the extraction site. This is all one unit. The artificial tooth is held into place by the two crowned teeth. (Crown, artificial tooth, crown) The artificial tooth and crowns are made to match your natural teeth.

Flipper: This is an appliance that is made, much like a retainer. They are generally plastic and fit on the roof of the mouth with teeth attached to fill in the spaces. They are removable, like partials and dentures. (They are not very durable and usually used as a temporary type appliance, even though some people use them for years)

Partial: This is an appliance that is made out of medal and acrylic. Impressions are taken and the appliance is made with the artificial tooth (teeth) attached. When the appliance is back from the lab, it is then fitted into the mouth and any adjustments are made for a proper fit. This appliance is removable.

Dentures: If all the teeth are missing, a denture is made to fit on either arch. The appliance is removable.

Implants: This is another option for some people. The tooth is extracted. About 6 weeks or more later, the first step begins for the implant. A tiny hole is drilled into the jaw bone. A medal rod is then positioned in the bone. This is what will supply support for the artificial tooth. After a few months of healing, a second precedure is done where another rod is inserted into the first rod. This is the part that the artificial tooth will fit into. Impressions will be taken and the artificial tooth will be constructed. On the third visit, the artificial tooth will be inserted into the second rod. It's screwed in so that it will lock into place. The artificial tooth will look like your natural teeth. An implant procedure takes several months to complete. There needs to be enough time in between each stage for proper healing and to make sure the implant rods are firmly seated in the bone.

Talk with your dentist and see which treamtent option(s) are available for you.

Thank-you Jennifer, I will save what you have posted just in case I need it sometime in the future. Thankfully my dentist was able to save my tooth...I almost cried, I was so thankful. He told me afterwards that he was 'concerned' that there was a good chance I would lose it, but I think because we caught it right away, he was able to save it. I'm on coumadin, a blood thinner, so extracting a tooth isn't quite as simple for me as it may be for someone else, so we try to avoid it if at all possible. After we were finished, that's when I was asking about implants, and he said it was a moot point now because the tooth is ok, but said it can cost in the neighborhood of $5000 because of the grafts that are needed to build up the area where the implant goes. In my case, because the bad tooth was right in front of my wisdom tooth, I wouldn't have had the option of a permanent bridge because he couldn't use the wisdom tooth. I kind of cringed at the cost of an implant and he agreed it can get costly (he wouldn't do it, an oral surgeon would), but an implant is considered the optimal way to go as it lasts forever. But, as he said, it's a moot point now and heopfully will stay that way for a long time.

I thank all of you so much, I appreciate all your help.