Question about teeth?

I had a root canal done today on my upper front. The dentist told me there was not much tooth to work with and called it a shell of a tooth. I am starting to think that I will soon lose this tooth and it has me scared. I have all of my teeth, inlcuding my wisdom teeth. If I did lose this tooth, how much would it cost me to get a replacement tooth? How long will a root canal last if there wasn%26#039;t much tooth to work with? Can the root canal still last a long time?

Question about teeth?
Hi Renne,


I%26#039;m a dentist in Ireland,my name is Paul.


Feel free to email me here if you have more questions.





Briefly, a root canal is performed when there is advanced decay/and /or breakdown of tooth and a simple filling is insufficient.





A root canal lasts forever.What it is: in a very broken/decayde tooth, decay often spreads into the root.A simple filling is not enough so we drill out the tooth And nerve to remove all decay.The nerve in the tooth pulp is removed ,effectively leaving the tooth %26quot;dead%26quot;.


You now have a %26#039;shell%26#039; of a tooth as it is not vital (alive),its hollowed out and filled.


The root is sealed off.Thats your root canal in plain language.





How much tooth was left is indifferent to a root canal.





Now a permanent crown is needed for the remaining tooth.


Not only because its broken but because root treated teeth turn dark in colour.





A veneer is Not possible for a badly broken tooth as someone mentioned.





While the lab is making your permanent crown you have a temporary one fitted.The temporary doesnt look as good or feel as good,its there to fill a gap.





Your permanent crown will be made of porcelain, or porcelain fused to metal for extra strength.It will be made to exact specifications from the impressions your dentist took.





When there is very little tooth to work with we do whats called a post crown.


Think of it like this, a crown is cemented on to the prepared tooth stump.If theres not enough to tooth to create a stump ,we need to put in a tiny metal post for support.The end result is the same.





I do these procedures everydy.Today I had one done myself by my colleague and I am pleased to be saving a tooth rather than an extraction, however even with extractions you have choices..bridges,implants etc.





Your tooth will look fine,better than the broken down one.The hard work and drilling is now done,next day it%26#039;ll be simply attaching permanent crown.





Paul
Reply:root canal is final.there is no more root so the tooth is....well...its dead.


for a replacement...hmm....a veneer is about 1200.
Reply:You are going to need a cap over the tooth that had the root canal. They can cost $1500 or more. You need to ask your dentist if you can go on a payment plan. Or, if you live near a dental school then go there and see if they can help you out. Many times they will work on people%26#039;s teeth for much less because the students need the practice and you will get good care because the professors are right there watching.
Reply:i am really sorry i cant help you with that question but i am getting braces if that helps and dont worry about it its ok to not have 1 teeeth one of my friends lost like 2 teeths i am still thier friend nothing will ever break us apart no matter what happpens to us its a girl she is my bestes frined in the world
Reply:if the root is there then they can do a post, core and a crown. you won%26#039;t lose the tooth unless it cracks because you didn%26#039;t get the crown ASAP.





if it%26#039;s your very front tooth you will have to be very careful when biting into things.





however i%26#039;ve seen those last for years and years. dentists do this type of proceedore every single day.





don%26#039;t worry about it unless it happens.
Reply:A root canal treatment does not remove the root, it removes the pulp canals that are IN the root, leaving the root intact. You may need to have a post %26amp; core and then a crown placed on the tooth after the treatment is completed and the tooth has %26#039;healed%26#039;..... and root canals last a lifetime, usually.





Fee for a post %26amp; core, and a crown (in my office): $1071, minus 10% if you don%26#039;t have dental insurance.





~hope this helped.





:)





Edited after your additional comment: If the temporary crown comes off, it%26#039;s no big deal...just have it recemented back on. Your permanent crown should fit more secure, and a permanent cement will be used....your entire tooth, root and all, will not come out.
Reply:ive had a root canal with about ur same problem as a temp. cap with my reall tooth for abotu 1 year now so if ur getting it caped in 3 weeks it should be just fine
Reply:I am going to try to help you understand what is going on with your tooth. First of all ..it is highly unlikely that the dentist would have performed a rct(root canal) if he thought your tooth was going to fall out. A far as the shell..he or she means..there is not much tooth structure left and the tooth will need to be built up and prepped for a crown(cap) They probably discussed this with you. I would not worry about losing your tooth. What I would be concerned about is not letting this happen to any more teeth. Yes..your tooth should not have any more problems after you have the tooth built up and crowned..unless you further neglect your teeth and NEW decay forms under your new crown. Good luck to you.



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