Antonina,

I am going to re post some of your post and answer you in bold type. This can make following a bit easier.

<<i have no teeth where the 2/3s of the old bridge is gone. the bridge is more than 20 years old! i chew only on the left side...the side of the remaining failing bridge.>>

A 20 YR OLD BRIDGE HAS LONG LOST IT'S FUNCTIONAL VALUE CONSIDERING THAT THE CEMENT THAT HOLDS THE BRIDGE ON ONLY HAS A 5-10 (MAX) LIFE SPAN. JUST LIKE ANY OTHER DENTAL ADHESIVE, THE BOND WEARS OUT OVER TIME. AS THE BOND LOOSES IT'S ADHESIVENESS, THE BRIDGE BECOMES LESS SNUG ON THE ANCHOR TEETH WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE NOTICEABLE AT THE EARLY STAGE. ANY UNEVEN MOVEMENT IN THE BRIDGE CAUSES THE BITE TO CHANGE RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE ANCHOR TEETH AS WELL AS EXCESSIVE WEAR TO THE OPPOSING TEETH.

A ROUND HOUSE BRIDGE IS DESIGNED TO RELY ON ALL OF THE ANCHOR TEETH TO HOLD THE BRIDGE IN PLACE AND KEEP THE BITE IN PROPER ALIGNMENT. ANYTIME YOU HAVE ANCHOR TEETH REMOVED FROM A BRIDGE, THE INTEGRITY OF THE BRIDGE BECOMES C0MPROMISED AND SO DO THE TEETH STILL PRESENT HOLDING THE LAST BIT OF THE BRIDGE IN.

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING ON THE RIGHT UPPER SIDE OF YOUR MOUTH?

<<the fracture is on the porcelain face of the incisor which is baked onto the metal frame. the tooth itself consists of a heavily drilled down, pointy stump>>

THE PORCELAIN ON THE EXISTING PIECE OF BRIDGE HAS WORN OUT AND DUE TO YOUR UNEVEN BITE, IT HAS BROKEN OFF. THE TOOTH ITSELF IS AS YOU SAID HEAVILY DRILLED DOWN AND IN ALL PROBABILITY INFECTED AND FRACTURED. THERE IS MOST LIKELY LITTLE ROOT STRUCTURE LEFT WHICH IS NOT GOING TO BE ADEQUATE FOR HOLDING ON TO ANYTHING IRRELEVANT OF WHETHER IT IS ROOT CANALED OR NOT. KEEP IN MIND THIS TOOTH HAS BEEN WAY OVER USED FOR CHEWING FOR A LONG TIME. IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT SHOWED SIGNS OF A PROBLEM.

<<i am very worried about the pain connected with a total renovation of my mouth. in order to be fitted with dentures, i guess i will need to have all remaining teeth extracted. yikes!>>

WHAT TEETH IN THE UPPER ARCH ARE REMAINING? DO YOU HAVE PERIODONTAL DISEASE, RECEDED GUMS, POOR ORAL HYGIENE? HOW LONG AGO WERE THE UPPER RIGHT TEETH REMOVED? DO YOU HAVE YOUR LOWER TEETH, ARE THEY BRIDGED ALSO?

THE JAW BONE OF EXTRACTED TEETH DIMINISHES BY 30-50% WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OR TWO DEPENDING ON THE INDIVIDUAL. IN SOME PEOPLE IT'S A BIT LONGER TO GET TO THAT DEGREE OF LOSS. IF A BONE GRAFT WAS SUCCESSFULLY PLACED AT EACH EXTRACTION SITE AT THE TIME OR SOON AFTER THE EXTRACTION, THEN THE OVERALL LOSS OF JAW BONE WOULD BE LESS DELAYED OR AT LEAST LESS FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. IF THE PERSON HAD OR HAS PERIODONTAL DISEASE OR IF THE EXTRACTED TEETH WERE BADLY INFECTED OR ROOT CANALED, THEN THE BONE LOSS AFTER EXTRACTIONS IS LIKELY TO BE MORE SEVERE IRRELEVANT OF THE PLACEMENT OF BONE GRAFTING.

<<several dentists have said i need about 8 or 9 implants. but dentures may be a quicker solution than implants.>>

DENTAL IMPLANTS CAN BE GREAT ANCHORS FOR IMPLANT BRIDGES OR DENTURES. HOWEVER, THE SUCCESS OF EITHER OF THEM ALL DEPENDS ON THE HEALTH OF YOUR JAW BONE, THE AMOUNT OF JAW BONE, YOUR ORAL HYGIENE,YOUR DIET AND LIFESTYLE HABITS, MEDICATIONS YOU TAKE AND YOUR OVERALL PHYSICAL HEALTH.

<<the other problem is the costs involved with implants. dentures, i think, would be less expensive but i don't know if dentures are more aesthetically pleasing than implants with crowns. also, i have heard that dentures take alot of getting used to. what do you this>>

DENTAL IMPLANTS ARE VERY COSTLY AND SO IS THE BRIDGEWORK OR DENTURES THAT GO OVER THE IMPLANTS. IT IS A HUGE UNDERTAKING AND THEREFORE IMPERATIVE THAT YOU ARE A GOOD CANDIDATE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THAT DENTISTRY.

REMOVABLE DENTURES ARE LESS COSTLY BUT IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO GET A GREAT FIT IN SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD PREVIOUS EXTRACTIONS. THE REASON BEING IS THAT AS THE BONE LOSS OCCURS AT THE SITES OF THE PREVIOUSLY EXTRACTED TEETH, THE BONY RIDGE CHANGES SHAPE MAKING THE RIDGE FROM ONE SIDE OF THE ARCH TO THE OTHER SIDE UNEVEN. SO YOU MAY HAVE TO HAVE SOME ORAL SURGERY TO LEVEL OUT THE RIDGES TO MAKE A MORE EVEN PLANE OF BONE FOR THE REMOVABLE DENTURE TO SIT UPON. THIS IS NOT AN UNUSUAL PROCEDURE FOR ORAL SURGEONS TO PERFORM. DENTURE WEARERS WILL TELL YOU THERE IS AN ADJUSTMENT PERIOD TO GET USE TO THE DENTURES. BUT NO TWO DENTURE WEARERS ARE GOING TO EXPERIENCE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS OR SUCCESS. IT IS ALL DEPENDENT UPON THE INDIVIDUAL CASE AND HOW ACCURATE THE PROSTHODONTIST TAKES THEIR MEASUREMENTS, MOLDS, ETC TO SEND TO THE LAB FOR THE FABRICATION OF THE DENTURES.

<<so if i don't have the root canal, what if anything, can stop the pain? how does the bad tooth get extracted? does the entire bridge need to get removed asap?>>

THE TOOTH IS MOST LIKELY INFECTED AND THE ONLY ATTEMPT AT CURING THE INFECTION IS TO REMOVE THE SOURCE, WHICH IS THE TOOTH. NOTHING ELSE WILL "CURE" THE PROBLEM OR THE PAIN. HOW MANY OTHER TEETH ARE HOLDING THIS PORTION OF BRIDGE? I THOUGHT THIS WAS THE ONLY ONE? IF THERE ARE OTHER TEETH HOLDING THIS BRIDGE ON, IT REALLY WOULDN'T BEHOOVE YOU TO HAVE THE SURGEON CUT OUT THIS ROOT SYSTEM AND LEAVE THE BRIDGE IN AS THIS BRIDGE HAS OUT LIVED IT'S FUNCTIONALITY.

<<i am very confused & overwhelmed!>>

I KNOW YOU ARE. IT IS A LOT TO TAKE IN BUT THERE ARE THINGS YOU NEED TO CONSIDER BEFORE MOVING FORWARD. I HAVE PROVIDED SOME OF THOSE THINGS FOR YOU THAT YOU CAN DISCUSS WITH YOUR ORAL SURGEON AND WITH THE PROSTHODONTIST.