Should broken molar be pulled? - Dental Health Message Board

lollypops555 · 09-23-2008, 06:34 AM

I have a stump of a molar left after the big filling in it fell out and my dentist has said it needs to come out, even though I'm not having too much trouble from it. Loathe to have tooth pulled and expensive bridge - could a post be put into the remains of the tooth and a false tooth go on top?

fionak · 09-23-2008, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lollypops555

I have a stump of a molar left after the big filling in it fell out and my dentist has said it needs to come out, even though I'm not having too much trouble from it. Loathe to have tooth pulled and expensive bridge - could a post be put into the remains of the tooth and a false tooth go on top?

Hi Laura,

It all depends on how far the tooth is broken if its bellow gum line and if one of the fractures goes into a root then yes you are going to need to have it out and either a bridge or a denture to replace it if you can not afford an implant.

bergerbaby · 09-23-2008, 09:21 AM

well,it is possible to either have a crown put on depends how the root is

or otherwise rather it coming out ,if its not causing you any pain or discomfort
or its not sharp then i would leave it

AnnD · 09-23-2008, 09:39 AM

Apparently your dentist who has looked at the xray of the broken molar doesn't' think you can post it...you could always have a second opinion but most all dentists hang on to teeth if they possibly can and if he thinks the only thing left to do is to pull it then I would tend to believe him. However, you do not have to have a bridge put in it's place if you can't afford it. It is a nice thing I suppose but no big deal if you don't put in the bridge. I had several permanent molar teeth pulled when I was young and it just didn't make much a difference several decades later. Of course the bridge is the appropriate way to go if you can afford it.

fionak · 09-24-2008, 01:41 PM

Hi again Laura,

What I said earlier stands I speak from a qualified point of view. Also you should not leave gaps in your mouth that is if you have a tooth out and leave a gap there are several problems that can follow.These problems more often than not follow if you have a tooth out and nothing to fill the gap the teeth either side can drift depending on the state of your perio (gums) also you upset your natural bite and later on can experience neck and shoulder pain and headaches etc.

If you do end up upsetting your natural bite then this can be expensive to fix more than a bridge. Also do not leave this tooth if it is broken and the fracture goes below gum level then you will eventually get an infection thats why he has recommened that you have it out as this will be very painfull and when it does happen you will need to have antibiotics prior to having it out so you see the end result will still be the same you just save yourself some pain and discomfort along the way