Hi Mo,

I am sorry your tooth is fractured and your having to deal with this. It has been almost two weeks since my front tooth was extracted. I was so nervous about having my tooth extracted. Like you I am fairly young, so I understand how you feel.

The flipper that I got looks very natural. No one can tell I am wearing a flipper. The first few days wearing it was uncomfortable and hurt a little only because it was too tight and because the gum was healing. But my dentist adjusted the flipper and as the gum heals the more comfortable it feels.

I personally can't eat with it. It is uncomfortable for me. My bottom teeth hit the plastic part that is on the roof of my mouth and makes it hard to chew. But my dentist said you can eat with them. He said it takes some getting used to. So I am hoping over time I can eat with it in. I can drink liquids of course fine with it in and even eat like yogurt or applesauce, but I have not mastered chewing with it in my mouth.

I do not have a lisp with my flipper at all. I sound completely normal.

Seeing myself without a front tooth for the first time was hard, but I actually got over it pretty fast. I am just happy that the tooth is not causing me pain anymore.

I was devastated when I learned I had to have my tooth extracted too. I almost cried in the dentist chair the day I got the flipper made. And the day before the extraction actually thought about canceling the appointment. But I didn't. I know it is hard, but looking back on it I am glad I went though with it. I don't have to worry about it anymore. I am not in pain anymore. Plus even the extraction itself wasn't that bad.

Are you getting a dental implant? I am getting a dental implant in a few months.

Hopefully I was of some help. Bryanna on this site is really awesome. She always has wonderful info and has helped me a lot when I have posted.

I wish you the best of luck. Keep us posted on how everything goes.

Thank you both so much for your responses! You both made me feel better. I went to pick up the "flipper" today. It's basically what I pictured, it looks like a retainer kinda thing. Hopefully I don't have trouble talking or eating with it. It does make me hopeful to know that your experience hasn't been too bad. The eating thing does sort of concern me but I guess I can't worry until I see what happens. I will definitely let you both know in a week or so how it goes. Alex, I am getting an implant, but they weren't able to tell me how long I will have the flipper until the tooth comes out and they see what's going on. How long do you have to wear your flipper for? Did you have a bone graft too? If so how was it?
The weirdest part about this for me is the fact that my tooth never once hurt me. My root canaled tooth appeared to be getting longer, falling almost so I asked my dentist about it. It never hurt or felt lose. He noticed a gray area on the xray and had me to go to an oral surgeon. After many mistakes and a pointless apicoectomy I found out the root was fractured. Now after that my tooth is bothering me a bit but I think that's because I made the mistake of even letting them do the apico before exploring what it was. Live and learn I guess! And now my tooth is starting to look a different color and all that, so I am sure in the end I will like my new tooth better.
One more question for you.. How long did it take you to recover after getting the extraction and flipper? I guess I just want to mentally prepare myself for how many days I will need after.
Thank you both again so much, you are very helpful! I'm glad I found this site.
Maureen

Hi Mo,

It sounds like we probably have the same type of flipper. Mine is like a retainer thing that fits on the roof of my mouth with a fake tooth on it that fits in the place of the extraction site.

Don't worry about the eating thing. You might do just fine eating with the flipper.

I did not have to have a bone graft. I thought I was going to have one, but the oral surgeon said since I am having my dental implant done in about 2 1/2 to 3 months I didn't need one. But if I was going to wait longer to get my dental implant then I would have to get a bone graft. I guess bone grafts vary from person to person. I'm assuming he saw in my x-ray that I have enough bone to put my dental implant it. Not sure how that all works.

The first day of the extraction I rested and took it easy at home. I did take something all day for the pain because that is what I was instructed to do for the first day. But was never in a lot of pain. The next day I didn't feel much pain at all. I don't think I even took anything for pain until bed that evening. After that it was just sore and achy like it was healing. Sometimes it had a dull throb. But it was not that painful for me. Wearing the flipper at first was uncomfortable because it was too tight and because the gum was healing. But the dentist adjusted the flipper and as the gum heals the flipper feels better.

I will be wearing my flipper until the dental implant process is complete. So I am thinking for 6 to 9 more months. Not quite sure. I am sure hoping I will be finished with all this by the end of the year.


It took a while for my tooth to be diagnosed as having a root fracture. I had a root canal at the beginning of the year and that only made the tooth worse. And the fracture wasn't showing up on the x-ray. So it was a long road to finally not have to worry about this tooth anymore. I remember the days leading up to the extraction were stressful for me, but everything worked out. And I know everything will work out for you too.

Keep us posted!

Hi mo,

I feel so bad that you have gone through so much with this tooth. Your dental problem is very common and just so you know.... everything you have written indicates an infection. The sooner you get this tooth out the better!

Your situation is a bit different than Alex in that you had the apicoectomy which in itself causes a void in the bone above the tooth. The dentist will not know the extent of the void until he removes the tooth. Again, this condition is always seen when a apico has been done.

The down time after the extraction varies from person to person. It would be a good idea to plan on a few restful days after the extraction and prepare a nutritious, soft food diet ahead of time. One that you can easily put together without too much thought. Unless your dentist instructs you otherwise, it is also important to wear the flipper for the first 24 hours after the extraction and then the next day take it out to clean it, give your mouth a rest and then wear it for several more hours the second day. By the third day you may need to see your dentist for an adjustment. Wearing the flipper at the onset does a few things. One, it acts as a bandade and protection over the extraction site. Second, it prevents the gum tissue from swelling alot. Third, the shape of the tooth on the flipper acts like a template along the gum as the surgical site is healing. So it's advantageous to wear the flipper as much as possible in the beginning and also throughout the healing process because it can actually help shape the level of gum tissue so the permanent restoration will look more natural.

I know this is scary and you'd rather do anything other than this..... but you realy will be fine. Please try not to worry and please keep in touch here!

Bryanna

Bryanna,
Thanks so much! I know.. looking back, i have no idea why the dentist decided to do the apico knowing that it actually goes through more bone. I'm so disappointed that I made the decision to even do it, but if the dentist is telling me that is the best plan then how was I supposed to know? That's why I get very anxious about all this because I never know if Im making the right decision. I should've just had them go in and explore, which was what one of my other dentist had suggested originally. Oh well.
I am going in for the procedure today I am really nervous, but I know it's better to get it done sooner than later. I don't ever want to take the flipper out because Im so nervous of seeing myself without a tooth! Ahh. I'll be sure to get back to you of how it goes. I'm sure I will have many more questions.
Thanks so much again you have both made me feel much better about this!
Mo

Hi mo,

Please do let us know how you are doing ~'.'~

Bryanna

Hii,
Ok so i basically had the weirdest experience yesterday. I didn't get my tooth out after all this!! The doctor who was doing my implant is not the same doctor who i originally went to for my partial apico. I changed doctors because I moved and heard good things about another doctor. Basically, he wanted to go in an check to make sure there was a root fracture instead of taking the other dr's word for it.. Turns out he didnt see a fracture! I dont get how this is possible, but instead of taking the tooth out he ended up doing an apico and bone graft. Have u ever heard of such a thing?? I was shocked. He said there could still be a chance it's a hidden fracture but he couldnt see taking my tooth out if he didnt see it. So weird. Im scared to get my hopes up bc im skeptical this wont work and ill still have to do it. But for now im happy to have my tooth. He has me on antibiotics for a week and i have to go back in 3 weeks. We will see i guess. What a nightmare!

Hi mo,

Well........ I imagine you feel some relief because you still have your tooth. However, I'm sorry to hear that things didn't go as planned because you geared yourself up to have the tooth removed which really would have solved the problem.

Unfortunately, most fractures in a tooth cannot be seen clinically because they form internally within the tooth and can therefore only be found once the tooth is extracted and evaluated. If the fracture is large enough to cause a splintering of the tooth, then it can be seen on an xray and sometimes clinically as well. Generally a dentist will diagnose a fractured tooth based on the patients symptoms and radiographic history.

Unfortunately, I have seen many patients who have undergone apicos, even multiple apicos on one tooth. Basically they are done as a heroic effort to "retain", not cure, a diseased tooth. Most often they are done on patients who have not accepted the idea of losing their tooth yet.

Mo, the truth of the matter is that your tooth is not healthy. Irrelevant of what is done to it or the bone surrounding it, the tooth is not healthy. Because the procedure has already been done, I'm not going to go into anymore detail about that here because it would just upset you.

It is wise to have an xray of that area twice a year at your dental cleaning appointments to monitor any changes in that area of the bone .... or sooner if you develop any swelling, pimple on the gum, redness or pus coming from that area.

I hope you are not too uncomfortable and wish you the best of possible outcomes!!

Bryanna

Bryanna,
Thanks for responding! I know. I cant help but wonder if i am delaying the inevitable, but I wasn't left with much choice I guess. Everything seems to be so conflicting from one dr. to the next and it makes it almost impossible to know what the "right" decision is for someone who has very minimal knowledge about dentistry u know? Especially when I'm sitting in the chair!
I guess they are hoping that maybe my tooth isn't actually fractured and that this will help heal the tooth? I don't know. I wouldn't go through another apico in the future. I'm sure if this doesnt "work" they are still going to tell me to have the tooth removed. I have to go back in 3 wks to see how this went. Thanks for your help. I definitely am unsure of this situation, but we will see. Ill keep u posted!

Hi Mo,

It is so true that when most people are in the dental chair, they're scared to some degreee, don't know what questions to ask, and feel helpless about making the right decision. So naturally they put their trust in the dentist who should be honest enough to make the right choice for that patient. It is so unfair that a person should feel like they have no choice but to go along.

Based on all that you have posted here, the recommendation to have the tooth extracted was probably the best treatment option because the bone could have been cleaned up and possibly regrowth of bone could have been achieved with a bone grafting procedure which would increase the success of placing an implant in the future.

Let me give you a clearer visual of what has happened...

Root canaled tooth= non vital, necrotic, diseased, fractured(?).

Some irreplaceable bone loss caused by the long standing disease process from all of the above.

Apico= additional bone loss, additional irritation and inflammation to the bone, procedure does not stabilize or positively alter the necrotic, diseased condition of the tooth.

Bone grafting= positive regrowth of bone when placed in healthy bone.... little to no solid regrowth of bone when placed in diseased bone.

These are the things that your dentist(s) should have discussed with you. I didn't post them here until now because I assumed you were having the tooth removed.

This is an unsettling situation to say the least and you have not been informed properly. Please don't feel like you are alone in this or that you did anything wrong. This situation occurs too frequently unfortunately. I urge you to monitor this tooth radiographically twice a year because this tooth and the surrounding bone is not healthy and it will show radiographic pathology before it gives you symptoms.

I'm sorry to bring you this crappy news....... I wish I could make it better. Please keep in touch.......

Bryanna