Originally Posted by Bryanna

Hi MelodyL,

If I recall correctly, some time ago your husband had a similar dental situation in which a post and crown came out. Perhaps it was this same tooth?

What you see in the crown is pieces of a decayed tooth, cement and a post. Due to the decay, the tooth has most likely broken off to the gum line. Any tooth with a post in it has been root canaled prior to the placement of the post. It is typical for a root canaled tooth to decay around the post over time. It is worth mentioning that to put this size post in a tooth root, the root had to be hollowed out quite a bit which results in nothing more than a thin shell of root structure. The decay has most likely spread into the root system and possibly beyond. So an xray would help to show how deeply the tooth is decayed and if there is an infection beyond the tooth.

Regarding the replacement of this post and crown..... if the decay is extensive and cannot be drilled out without perforating the root and/or there is infection beyond the tooth, then the tooth cannot be properly restored. If the dentist leaves the decay the way it is and attempts to re-cement this post and crown or make new ones, they will just keep falling out as there is not enough tooth structure to hold the post in or the crown on and he will have a chronic infection brewing from the decay, etc.

There are lots of new devices and technology in dentistry but there are limitations to everything when the tooth is compromised beyond restoring.

Bryanna