Can a cracked tooth be saved?

[Vijjit]

All of sudden I felt my tooth was shaking and I rushed to my dentist. He told that it was not entire tooth that was shaking but half of the tooth was shaking. as there was a crack. He told the root of the tooth was fine but only lower portion was bad. He said that I have to get the entire tooth removed and there.was no other option. So I went ahead snd got it removed. Later when I searched the Internet, I found there were ways to save such tooth. I am feeling so bad that I lost one more tooth because of my dentists lack of latest knowledge. I want to confirm if my dentist did the right thing in order to decide if I should continue with him or find another dentist. Till now I have lost 6 tooth in all and have had 4 root canal. Could this be because my dentist hasn't been giving me right advice. I take care of my oral hygiene. I brush twice daily and rinse my mouth well after every meal and avoid eating sweet stuff but still my oral condition is in bad shape. Wondering if my doctor could have saved my oral condition by giving me timely advice by attacking the root cause rather than solving the issue as and when they were rise up?

[Philip]

Me, I would get rid of it because it will cause serious pain in the future and a lot of discomfort in its way down.

[Barrister]

I've been told that once a tooth is cracked then it can't be saved. Clemmie

[Vijjit in reply to Barrister]

My doc also told the same

I read the below article so had this doubt

m.wikihow.com/Treat-a-Broke...

[Ali_H]

I'm not sure if a cracked tooth could have been saved but I would ask about extra fluoride toothpaste - as soon as I told my dentist about my RA diagnosis he recommended using Duraphat once a week, it is expensive but hopefully worth the investment - time will tell.

All the best

Ali

[Simba1992]

What Mede are you on?

[Poppygail]

Hi Vijjit,

You don't give quite enough information to give an informed answer however I can tell you that I have saved many teeth where half or more of the crown (the portion above the roots) is missing. This requires good bone support and someone such as yourself with good hygiene. It is also not inexpensive because it will most often involve endodontia (root canal) and prosthodontics (crowns, caps). There is even a procedure where, on a multi rooted tooth, a non salvageable root may be severed and removed separately from the others, thereby saving a portion of the tooth.

Your provider should absolutely be forward looking in not only your oral health but your overal health. Much like the eyes, the oral cavity and surrounding area can be a "window to the soul". Many conditions will show subtle, some not so subtle, signs to the trained clinician. It's always better to prepare than react.

I know I didn't really answer your question but I hope I helped in some way.

Randy

[Vijjit in reply to Poppygail]

Thanks for ur answer. It did help. I think the reason we are not gettiing overall solution is because I think the dentist's education just teaches them only to handle oral issues and nothing beyond. I guess I should have met a general physician to find out the root cause. I didn't do that because I had assumed that a dentist knows all like other doctors. I was too naive at that time and so it didn't occur to me that a dentist has limited knowledge and is no God. But a dentist must atleast advice his patients to meet a general physician to attack the root cause to prevent further damage.

[Poppygail in reply to Vijjit]

Vijjit,

I am a dentist, although for health reasons I have not practiced in years, and I was well trained to be ever vigilant for the signs and symptoms of systemic disease in and around the oral cavity. I hope that should I find something suspicious I would have the good sense to refer you to the appropriate health care provider. I certainly would not presume to treat that systemic condition, not what I'm trained to do, not safe for you.

However, as your oral health care provider, I have a responsibility to take your health in total into consideration as I provide your care. That includes trying to plan for prevention of any untoward effects of any of your conditions in your oral environment well before they actually occur. An ounce of prevention and all that. I would hope that any provider you are seeing would feel the same.

All the best,

Randy

[Vijjit in reply to Poppygail]

Exactly, I hope all health providers have an attitude as yours. Then this world will be much healthier place and also people would be more educated about better lifestyle.