What is the risk if I keep a crowned tooth with a new fracture?!
Question: I had a root canal long time ago and just had a crown over that tooth. Two months later tooth pain led me to my dentist and an abscess was the cause. My dentist thought it could be the tooth with the crown have a fracture and suggested an extraction of that crowned tooth.
I am thinking to wait until another problem occurred since I hope my luck may help me to retain the root of the tooth. What is the risk if I don't do the extraction?
Answers: I had a root canal long time ago and just had a crown over that tooth. Two months later tooth pain led me to my dentist and an abscess was the cause. My dentist thought it could be the tooth with the crown have a fracture and suggested an extraction of that crowned tooth.
I am thinking to wait until another problem occurred since I hope my luck may help me to retain the root of the tooth. What is the risk if I don't do the extraction?
Usually crowns are placed on teeth that have a fracture to keep them from fracturing further. If your crowned, root canal treated, tooth is painful, there could be several reasons for this.
An abscess it's self can cause a tooth to rise in the socket, sitting taller than the adjacent teeth. This will cause the tooth to become sore from over stimulation of being "hit heavy" when eating or just closing the teeth together. Hitting heavy can actually cause the nerve of a tooth to die.
I would want to know if your dentist sees a root fracture on an x ray. If so, then you really have no choice but extraction. This has been known to happen.
If a fracture isn't visible, then I would try adjusting the bite on the tooth first taking it completely out of occlusion giving the tooth time to settle down. You should also try to avoid touching it or chewing with it for a few days. A round of antibiotics may also help to reduce the infection giving the tooth a chance to survive. Try all measures before deciding on an extraction.
It may be live nerve left after the last root canal. In this case you only need a root canal re-treat. Be sure to ask your dentist about this.
Additional information: Yes, it is very prudent to keep the tooth allowing it to settle down for a few weeks, without any medications to mask the possible condition. There are times when a tooth will behave as though it has a fracture and it may be something as slight as hitting too heavy which has brusied the ligaments of the tooth. These teeth should be given every opportunity to heal by treating with antibiotics, making adjustments to the crowns occlusion and just allowing it time to heal by not chewing or stimulating the tooth. Most teeth will settle down not giving another problem. Those with severe fractures will flare up again requiring an extraction. I wouldn't be so fast to extract, try medication, adjustments and time first.
Hi, I'm a dentist.
If you had an abscess, I'm assuming you were given antibiotics to get the infection under control and reduce your pain. While your pain may have gone away, the infection still lingers. It will come back eventually, and most likely it will be worse and more resistant to antibiotic therapy. Antibiotics can help to relieve a dental infection, but they cannot penetrate the source of the infection: the infected tooth. As a result, the infection will always return.
You need to have the tooth extracted as soon as possible.
Good luck.