We thank our advertisers who help fund this site.
Dr. Hall,
My husband has 2 front teeth that are broken off. The roots are intact. Other than a partial plate or a bridge is it possible to have root canals and caps?
– Jen from Ontario
Jen,
Yes, it may be possible to save a front tooth that is broken off, by doing a root canal, putting a post in that root canal, and putting a crown [cap] on the post, if there isn’t too much of the tooth broken off. It depends on the kind of bite your husband has. And it depends on the attitude of the dentist. Many dentists, I can tell you, may not want to attempt that. And recently, as dental implants have become more reliable and more popular, there may be less tendency of dentists to want to try to save teeth like this.
The mechanics of fixing a front tooth like this are tricky. A lot of dentists won’t realize that the main force working against them is a rotational force on the tooth. The front teeth are kind of roundish at the root. Then if the dentist puts a round post into the root, the resultant restoration doesn’t offer much resistance to rotational forces. Over time, then, those rotational forces can work the post loose. A way to brace against those rotational forces is to put two posts into the root.
Another problem that many dentists may not realize about this situation is that the post can end up cracking the root. There is a tendency to think that a rigid post would be stronger, and it may be stronger. But when tipping forces occur against the root, a rigid post will transfer those forces to deep inside the root where the tooth is thinner and they can crack the root. So flexible posts, such as carbon fiber or fiberglass posts should be used on front teeth.
Dr. Hall
Do you have a comment or a question or anything else to add? We’d love to hear from you. Enter your comment below.
Click here to ask Dr. Hall a question of your own.
About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
Annmarie says
I was just wondering with those two considerations you mentioned above, would it be procedurally safer to just get a dental implant?
Response by Dr. Hall
– You’ll get different answers to that question depending on the dentist and depending on the tooth–exactly how much is broken off, how much root there is to the tooth, and the amount of stress that there is on the tooth.
Jamie S says
Would a partial denture work for a situation like this?
Response by Dr. Hall:
Yes, if the tooth is extracted, a removable partial denture is another option for replacing the missing tooth.