Dental advice needed...does my DD need a bridge?

[busy mom]

My 23 yr. DD just had a tooth removed; bottom, 2nd from the back. Her dentist has recommended a bridge so that she does not have issues down the road.

Looking for some advice. Cosmetically, the space is not visible, so that would not be a consideration. But could this missing tooth create issues down the road, and if so, what type of problems may she encounter???

If anyone has had any experience with this, I would love some input.

 

[TwoMisfits]

My 23 yr. DD just had a tooth removed; bottom, 2nd from the back. Her dentist has recommended a bridge so that she does not have issues down the road.

Looking for some advice. Cosmetically, the space is not visible, so that would not be a consideration. But could this missing tooth create issues down the road, and if so, what type of problems may she encounter???

If anyone has had any experience with this, I would love some input.

Is there a reason they did not recommend an implant? Normally, that is the 1st recommendation (if you're a good candidate - my husband wasn't) and a bridge is the 2nd...

The missing tooth will create issues down the road, BUT not immediately...so she can handle this over the next 3-5 years and she'll still be fine...you probably don't want to go much longer than that (but if you need the time to save the money for the procedure, take it b/c there are almost never any immediate consequences).

 

[tinka-belle]

The biggest issue is that gradually the teeth around the space will shift. Sometimes they still stay straight but often they can tilt a bit without the support of the missing tooth.

Much harder to repair once the damage is done, can also affect her bite and chewing. Don't have to decide now, but don't wait too long.

 

[tvguy]

Not knowing the circumstance makes it hard to say. I am guessing something seriously was wrong if the tooth was removed in someone only 23 as opposed to a root canal, crown, etc. Does your Dentist even do implants. My wife's best friend's mom is doing implants for several teeth and that is a much longer, and more involved process than a bridge. But in her case, the deciding factor was, there are no adjacent teeth to put a bridge in.

 

[leahgoogle]

I would look into an implant because she is so young. With a bridge, they would have to grind down the two anchor teeth which I assume are currently healthy.

 

[LadyD]

With big dental decisions like that, it can be worth consulting with a few different dentists to see if they all recommend the same course of treatment. I would definitely seek other professional dental opinions who can review your daughter's records and examine her mouth to recommend a treatment plan.

 

[HMANSION LOVER]

LadyD has it right! Get other opinions if you don't feel comfortable with the current DDS's plan. Leagoogle also made a good point, for someone who is young implants are the way to go.

 

[momto3pirates]

You have gotten great advice. An implant would definitely be the way to go. Another issue is she will start to lose bone in the extraction site. It could eventually endanger the teeth around the missing tooth. Don't be afraid to get another opinion.

I am a dentist so I have seen what happens.

 

[tvguy]

LadyD has it right! Get other opinions if you don't feel comfortable with the current DDS's plan. Leagoogle also made a good point, for someone who is young implants are the way to go.

That's a great question. All the people I know with implants are elderly and don't have the anchor teeth for a bridge. All the people I know with bridges are younger. And an implant takes 5 to 6 months from start to finish, while a bridge can be done in a few week.s

 

[TwoMisfits]

That's a great question. All the people I know with implants are elderly and don't have the anchor teeth for a bridge. All the people I know with bridges are younger. And an implant takes 5 to 6 months from start to finish, while a bridge can be done in a few week.s

Implants are now the always recommend b/c they last longer and don't require destroying the 2 healthy teeth next to the missing one with crowns...implants are more expensive and you can be a bad candidate (my husband's nasal cavity was too close to the planned implant (apparently he has a large cavity) that they thought doing the implant both might not take and might cause him post-implant nasal drip issues)...so we are now doing the bridge this winter...

 

[buzznina]

I am never in favor of destroying 2 healthy teeth for a bridge, unless that is the only option.

 

[Sadie22]

All the people I know with bridges are elderly. All the younger people still have their teeth. Pulling a tooth is a last resort, but since the OP's daughter's tooth could not be saved, an implant if she does not have some huge problems making her a poor candidate for the procedure should be considered before anything else is done. I have an implant which I received in my 40s. (Tvguy, do you consider that elderly? I'm guessing probably not.) The procedures have been around for a long time.

 

[chartle]

I've lost both of those top teeth. On one side I have a Nesbit and the other has been open for a few years.

First on the left I had to get an emergency root canal and then a crown that eventually fell out. I also lost the tooth on the right but since the crown didn't take they didn't even try. As I was getting that tooth puled I got the estimate for an implant and I don't have something like $1,000 to replace a tooth.

So like I said on the right I have a Nesbit which is a partial denture and nothing on the left. I may soon get implants in both since my niece is finishing up Dental school and I think she specialized in like reconstructive plastic surgery type stuff so a few implants shouldn't be a piece of cake.

Oh and my son at even an earlier age lost that tooth. Now that he has his own money and dental insurance he's looking into fixing it.

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

I've have an implant since my 20s and I'm about to get another one in my 30s. It is absolutely the way to go--instead of ruining THREE teeth with a bridge, you're getting a replacement for the removed tooth that no one will ever be able to tell is fake. Sure, it takes awhile, but it is ENTIRELY worth it! A bridge will just cause more problems down the line.

For example, I remember my mother's bridge came loose and she SWALLOWED it when I was younger! They were hours away from surgery before she finally passed it. You don't really have to worry about things popping off with the implant

 

[mjkacmom]

I'd get an implant.

 

[Fat01]

Absolutely getting an implant is the way to go for a patient that young.

 

[MomToOne]

I have two implants, both premolars. They are the way to go, although I admit it can be a process. I am not elderly, although I am not a spring chicken either. Implants can be used either to replace a single lost tooth - the implant in this case is topped with a look alike "tooth" (which is what your DD needs), or they can be used as anchors for full or partial dentures - which is why the elderly sometimes get them.

A friend had a back molar removed, and didn't get either a bridge or implant. It's now just a few years later, and the tooth above it has started to come down, because there is no resistance against it anymore. She's now going to have to do something about that.

 

[WVMomof3]

I might have to go this route with my 16 year old! Ughhh Same tooth, 2nd from back. It has been giving her problems for years. First a cavity, then a root canal when she was 10. Last year they had to put a crown on it, now it is infected. She went in for consultation about wisdom teeth when the oral surgeon noticed it on xray. He recommended getting it pulled and an implant. Will be going in for another opinion, but she does not want to go back to regular dentist. She thinks he messed it up with the root canal, it has been hurting her on and off since then. Poor thing.

 

[Sadie22]

Sometimes root canals do not work out and it's no one's fault.

 

[Frankie Nova]

I had one removed 25 years ago cant be seen and no issues