5 Existing Teeth Holding Lower Plate Securely
Added: May 22, 2007 - 12:04 PM
By: Patient Email Withheld, Pahoa, HI
Need Dentist / Specialist:
No
Provide Cost Estimate:
No
X-rays Available:
No
Case Summary
Dentures / Partials
Teeth: 21,22,23,26,27
Last Full Mouth X-Ray: Dec. 2006
Last Cleaning: Dec. 2006
Case Description
I have a full upper denture, but a partial lower denture being held in place by 5 existing teeth. This may soon be only 4 as my dentist filled 2 of these existing teeth 6 months ago, and I have been having sensitivity/pain/or toothache ever since. Although I have consulted with him twice since then, I have not resolution to the problem. During the last visit he said "You may have to have a root canal". Since he did a thorough exam along with xrays before he filled the tooth, shouldn't he have known then if I needed a root canal? I do not want a root canal, but would rather have that tooth extracted and another tooth added to my lower partial. Isn't this OK to do? Would 4 teeth hold in the lower partial OK? Does it matter which 4 teeth are remaining? Any advice/direction will be greatly appreciated. I am 71 years old with no dental insurance and can't afford a big dental bill. Thanks!
Request Consultation
Get Dentist Opinions
Compare Ratings
Select Dentist!
Are You This Patient?
When selecting a new doctor, consider the following:
Quality of Explanations: Compare dentist replies. Give preference to well-reasoned, detail-oriented, transparent explanations.
Experience & Qualifications: If a dentist has a practice listing, check their practice description,
special training, typical office procedures and before & after case photographs.
Other Patients' Freedback: If a dentist has reviews, read other patients' reviews. The more
reviews they have, the more likely it is that other patients' feeback is accurate.
Treatment Costs: Dental procedure costs vary from practice to practice and depend on a variety of factors.
Because quality of patient care and treatment results vary from practice to practice most dentists will not "price-match" treatment fees of others.
In some cases it is ok to extract and add on, in others, it''''s not advised. It depends on the case, and which teeth are remaining. Four teeth can hold a partial in, but they need to be healthy and strategically placed. Which ones okay to take? which ones to keep? In most instances, if it''''s a front small tooth, 23-26, we can extract and add on if finance is an issue. But 22, 27, we try to hold on to if they have healthy bones. This is due to the length of the root, they are long, and good anchors to a partial. And should he have known that you needed a root canal? If it''''s a deep hole on the image, there is always possibility of root canal. Sometimes depending on the angulation of xray, it is not always clear. Like taking a picture, if you take it from left, it will show an image, and if you take it from right, it will show a different image. And so it is not always known until the tooth is opened. It can go either way, no root canal or root canal depending. Finance. a root canal and crown will cost more than 800. an extraction and add onto partial, tend to cost more than 300. It is better to save teeth . :) More legs to walk on gives more stability. If they are healthy teeth, that is.Good luck. Shelli
It is not uncommon to place a large, deep filling into a tooth that is not symptomatic and for that tooth to then become sensitive or painful and require a root canal. Nothing would show up on an Xray prior to treatment. So your dentist probably treated you just as I would have. The teeth may need root canals due to the depth of the decay or old filling removed when they were recently restored. Any time you work on a tooth the nerve is traumatized, and sometimes the nerve becomes inflammed and painful after treatment and starts to die.Depending on which tooth needs a root canal and you choose to pull it instead, the fit of your partial may be compromised. But there are times when a tooth can be removed and a denture tooth added to an existing denture. Remember, with lower dentures, the more teeth present, the more stable your denture will be.
Get Dentist Opinions