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Is It Advisable To Leave A Part Of Root In Mouth After Tooth Extraction?

Posted on Tue, 13 Oct 2015

Question: I just had a tooth pulled and the root broke off because it was attached to the jaw bone , is it ok to leave a small portion of the root in the mouth about 2 c.m. my dentist says it might be ok to leave it and put in a bridge.

dentist says its ok to leave root attached to jaw bone and put in a bridge for some people ?

Answered by Dr. Honey Arora (38 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Root will become a part of bone or it will resorb.

Detailed Answer:
Hi..
Welcome to HEALTHCARE MAGIC..

I have gone through your query and can understand your concerns..

As per your complain and presentation of symptoms if a very small piece of root of the tooth that was fused to the root is broken and left out in the socket then many a times it gets resorbed or it is possible that it becomes a part of bone..

But if the root piece is not fused to the bone then there is a possibility that it gradually erupts and comes to the surface of gums and then it can be extracted..

It is also common that the root piece remains in its place as it is and does not cause any infection, provided that the tooth infection is not a cause of extraction otherwise the remaining root piece can cause infection and pain..

So I would like to know from you that what was the cause of getting the tooth extracted?

Kindly reply so that I can guide you better towards treatment..

Waiting for your reply..

Thanks and regards..
Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj

Follow up: Dr. Honey Arora (1 hour later)

the tooth was extracted because a very large filling on the side of the tooth had fallen off while flosed . the tooth was too damaged to add another filling . would you recommend an implant or at my age go with a bridge . I have one other bridge in my mouth for over 20 years with no problems . The root was very much alive when tooth was pulled and is fused to the jaw bone.

Answered by Dr. Honey Arora (16 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
You can go ahead with the bridge..

Detailed Answer:
Hi.
Welcome Again..

Thanks for reply..

As the root piece is fused to bone then there are chances that it will get remodelled and become part of bone.

Keeping your age into consideration you should go for bridge if the adjacent teeth that will be taken for support are into good health and are firm and having a good bone support..
You can ask about all these factors to your dentist before proceeding for bridge..

If the teeth are in good health bridge is a good option..

As far as Implant is concerned if you do not have any underlying problem like Diabetes then you can also go for implant, so it will be better if you ask about the health of supporting teeth to your dentist for the bridge and if they are found healthy get a bridge done.

In case if there is some problem like weakened teeth then you can think of implant otherwise bridge can be successful..

Any further questions are welcome..

And If your query is solved, kindly write a positive review and give a Five star rating as a token of appreciation..

Thanks and regards..
Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora..

Note: Find out which dental treatment will work best for your teeth. Ask here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Neel Kudchadkar