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Think You Have To Extract That "Bad Tooth"? 2 Facts About Tooth Restoration That May Change Your Mind

8 February 2017 by Gregory Price

If you have neglected visiting the dentist for years and think you have a very "bad tooth," then you may think that having it extracted is your only option. While you have likely heard of root canals, you may think that after a dentist removes the pulp of your tooth during this procedure, you won't have enough tooth structure left to anchor a crown to. However, you may not realize just how many tools dentists have when restoring teeth that often help them repair even those that just look irreparable. Read on to learn two facts about tooth restoration that may make you realize that your tooth can truly be restored into great condition. 

1. A Post and Core Can Replace Most of a "Bad" Tooth

You may have friends who have obtained root canals and know that after a dentist removes the pulp from the tooth canals and sanitizes them, a material called gutta-percha is used to fill the empty canals, the tooth is filled, and finally, a dental crown may be placed on top. 

If the entire natural crown of your tooth is in bad shape or even almost completely missing, then you may think that your tooth cannot be repaired simply because you don't even have enough tooth to secure a filling into and/or to support the crown that you would need. 

However, realize that dentists skilled in tooth restorations can use posts and cores to replace lost tooth structure to restore even badly damaged or decayed teeth. After a dentist removes your tooth pulp and fills the the other tooth canals with gutta percha (some teeth have several canals), they would place a post in one canal that projects above the canal to give a dental core something to anchor onto. 

Next, they create a core, which will act as a replacement for your natural tooth structure, out of one of the same materials they also use to create fillings (amalgam or white dental composite), which sits above your gumline, just where a natural tooth would. Finally, the core will be topped with a great-looking crown that looks just like a natural tooth. 

2. Apicoectomies Aid Dentists in Restoring Teeth with Deep Infections

If you fear your tooth has to be extracted due to a deep infection or even abscess above the gumline  (if it is a top tooth) or below the gumline (if it is a bottom tooth), then first, realize that after a round of antibiotics and removal of the infected tooth pulp with a root canal, many infected teeth never suffer infection again. 

However, even teeth with recurring infections can be saved with a procedure called an apicoectomy. To perform this procedure, a dentist or endodontist first numbs your infected gum tissue with anesthetic and then makes in incision into it to access the infected tooth root and tissue. The infected tissue and tip of your tooth root is then removed, and this procedure can put an end to chronic tooth infections and help save your tooth. 

Don't worry if your tooth doesn't just have a deep infection, but is also missing much of its natural crown; a restoration dentist can perform an apicoectomy on the same tooth they later install a post and core on. 

If you've neglected going to the dentist for years and now have a "bad tooth" you think is just too bad to be restored and must be extracted, then realize that restoration dentists can often restore even the most badly damaged and/or decayed teeth today with the many tooth restoration tools and procedures they are trained to use. Before you extract that tooth, have a dentist examine it and let you know whether it can be saved or not. 

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