Hi Bryanna: thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge. You've been a huge help the last few years...

My mother, who is 83, recently bit into pie crust and the tooth next to her right front tooth broke off at the gum line. She visits her dentist yearly, and is in good health. We went to the dentist, who said that because my mom's upper four teeth were capped years ago, the best option is to have an endodontist do a root canal on that tooth -- then begin the implant procedure. I know why root canals are a huge NO, but the dentist (who disagrees about rc's - so what else is new) said the other alternative -- a bridge -- isn't feasible, because the surrounding capped teeth won't hold a bridge. I asked why the remaining tooth/root can't be pulled and she said to just trust her.

Bryanna, could you explain 1) why the rest of the tooth can't just be pulled, all healed, then implant done? I know i'm not understanding a step... 2) do you know any other alternative to an implant?

While a front tooth is affected and there's a very visible gap at the moment,
this seems like a lot of dental work and a lot of dollars. Most imp, I'm not comfortable with the root canal step. Thanks for any light you can shed. - Emily