In my teen years I had an accident where I was playing a game and caught a very solid baseball with my mouth. Over the years the tooth has turned brown. My dentist said that the root is all gone and to fix it I will have to replace it with a dental implant. The problem is I still have other teeth that need work. Do I spend all my money on this one tooth and neglect my other teeth?
Evelyn
Dear Evelyn,
The first thing I am going to suggest is that you get a different dentist. He has not given you the best service; back when your tooth was first injured, as well as now when it needs to be replaced.
The reason there is no longer a root in your tooth is because of root resorption, which is happens after a traumatic injury. Your dentist should have given you a root canal treatment. Doing that would have given this tooth a chance at being saved. It wouldn’t have been a guarantee, but it would have given your tooth its best chance.
A second issue I have is that the only option he appears to have given you is a dental implant. While it is the best tooth replacement, it is expensive. There are other options. Your dentist is ethically obligated to give you all of your options. The fact that he didn’t bothers me.
Some other alternatives you have are a dental bridge, a removable partial denture, and a dental flipper. A dental bridge places a crown on both of the adjacent teeth with a false tooth suspended between them. A removable partial denture is a false tooth that will clip onto your other teeth. A dental flipper is similar but will not last as long. Most people use a dental flipper as a temporary tooth replacement while they save up for a better procedure.
I hope this helps.
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