aesthetic,

When a tooth has broken off to the gum line, the pulp chamber in that tooth is damaged beyond repair. If the tooth is already dead, you will not experience pain in this tooth until it becomes abscessed or loose. It is important for you to know that due to the irreversible damage, this tooth is on its way to becoming abscessed. Root canaling this tooth will not fix the problem permanently as the tooth will remain chronically infected and it will still abscess. Just restoring this tooth with a large filling or a crown will not fix the problem either and for the same reasons. It is irrelevant as to whether you use this tooth or not to chew with because it is the tooth itself that is infected and damaged beyond repair.

It is advantageous to you to have this tooth removed sooner than later and not wait until it abscesses because the infection can migrate to other areas and even into your sinus. So it is best to remove it before that happens.

The contour of your face in that area may change a little bit if there are no teeth there to hold the facial muscles in place in that area. Infection and the loss of teeth also result in some bone loss which also contributes to the change of appearance. It is ideal to have the infected teeth removed and have a new bridge made using your healthy teeth.. or place dental implants in the areas of extracted teeth so long as the bone is healthy and adequate enough to receive them... or wear a partial denture to help maintain the initial integrity of your muscle structure in that area.

Bryanna