Dear Bryanna, i have lost my first lower molar extracted about 2 months ago. its was a 25 year old root cannaled tooth which got infection. after that, dentist prepared a 3 unit bridge for me. I am now feeling very stupid that i filed my two healthy tooth to replace one missing tooth, get very scared when think that what if my abutment teeth get any cavity or needed root canal. to save my abutment teeth, i was thinking to remove the bridge and go for partial denture. what you say about that? please, i need your reply. I am 35 year old, healthy woman.

Also, what if i go for a mini dental implant securing a one tooth denture for my lower first molar, I like the concept of mini since it is less invasive.

Hi sara ali,

Your dentist should have offered you every replacement option before he went ahead and did the bridge. He should also have offered you explanations on the benefits of each option.

Since you have already had the two teeth cut down and the bridge placed, it would not make sense to remove it at this time. Both of those teeth would need to have crowns on them and the bridge might not be able to be cut off in a way that the current crowns would be stable enough to remain on those teeth.

Secondly, mini implants are great in certain circumstances. However, they are not adequate when replacing molar teeth. You need a larger implant to replace a molar so it can act as a long root just like the molar tooth would have naturally.

Thirdly, because that molar had been root canaled 25 years ago...... the bone in that area is compromised from the long term chronic infection from that tooth. Placing a dental implant in that bone would be risky to say the least.

Try not to beat yourself up over this. Just do your best the keep the area where the bridge is very clean. Use floss threaders every day and be thorough with your tooth brushing.

Bryanna

Dear Bryanna, thank you so much for your quick reply. its really very informative and helpful. just wanted to let you know that I live in Pakistan (third world country) and sometimes in Australia. the dentistry work in Pakistan is good and verrrrrrryyyy cheap. the dental bridge i just put in is $240. Due to the reason of low cost and good quality, I was thinking to replace the bridge (which was a mistake I regret) with two separate crowns to increase the longevity of the abutment teeth, and replace missing tooth with some flexible partial denture like valplast. thanks

I do not find my quick reply post in this thread. Anyway, I am writing it again.

Thank you so much Bryanna for this detailed, helpful and quick reply. Since, the cost of dental bridges and crown in my country is very cheap (a third world country), I was thinking to replace the bridge with a flexible soft denture, placing separate crowns on abutment teeth in order to increase the life of abutment teeth. after orthodontic treatment which extracted 4 teeth to pull back my front teeth into my mouth, I already have very few teeth in my mouth. I am afraid to loose the abutment teeth, especially since its on a premolar and 2nd molar, I am also afraid that the premolar couldn't withstand the force and crack. please let me know your valuable thoughts. Thanks again.

Hi sara ali,

You can remove the bridge and have two new crowns made for the abutment teeth. But as far as longevity, these two teeth are already compromised because they were cut down to accommodate the bridge. Removing the bridge and installing new crowns will not alter the longevity of these two teeth in any way.

The advantage to having separate crowns over the bridge are:
The teeth will be easier to clean.

Whether or not you keep the bridge or do separate crowns you would still be left with the same scenario if something were to happen to one of these teeth that required it to be extracted. You would either need a longer bridge to replace the then two missing teeth or an implant or a removable appliance.

Regarding the replacement of this one missing tooth....
Unless you have other teeth missing in the arch, you are not a candidate for a typical partial denture. Some dentists will make what is called a Nesbit appliance which is a very small plastic piece that holds one tooth, it is removable and it snaps into place using the adjacent teeth as anchors. However, this appliance is only used to keep the space open as a means of preventing the adjacent teeth from shifting and for esthetics. It is not meant to be used for chewing as it can be easily dislodged with food and become a choking hazard.

I think it would be helpful for you to make an appointment to consult with your dentist about what options you have that may be best suited for your particular case. I know you regret your decision to do the bridge, but in the long run it may be best to just leave well enough alone. But that is your choice and you have to be comfortable with it

Bryanna

Thank you so much for another detailed and helpful reply. I am sincerely thankful to you.

Hello everyone & specially Bryanna,

I want to know your thoughts and experience about dental implants. Are they a safe choice to replace a missing tooth? what are its side effects or long term consequences like causing autoimmune diseases?

is it always wise to extract a hanging, unopposed tooth from upper jaw? for instance, if one extracted an impacted wisdom tooth, why always dentist advice to extract the opposite tooth from the upper jaw?

Also, if a person lost first lower jaw molar and decided not to replace it with implant or fixed bridge, what options he has to stop eruption of unopposed tooth from upper jaw? Please advice.

Hello sarah ali
I have merged the 2 new threads you started into this one as it is less confusing when Bryanna or others want to reply to rather have one thread of your questions than many

Thanks Chemar