What are my choices if I have a badly broken down tooth that needs fixing?

 This is a situation that I encounter when I work as an attending at Mount Sinai hospital. Patients show up for emergency treatment at our dental facility. Often they have had the problem for a long time and wait until the tooth is bothering them. Many of the patient pool is dependent on their dental insurance or a possibly a sliding fee scale that they can apply for.

If a patients mouth is not missing a high number of teeth, fixing the tooth is a viable option for some patients if they can afford the procedures needed... These can include multiple procedures such as root canal, post and core , crown and possibly crown lengthening. These are all feasible for many teeth, but can be time consuming and expensive. A number of the patients seen at our program opt to extract these teeth rather than to save them. 

If multiple teeth are badly decayed with compromised tooth structure extraction often is the preferred option for our patients and replacement of the teeth with removable partial denture becomes the most appropriate treatment plan, due to its affordability.

If the cost of a treatment plan is not a primary concern and a patients health will allow extended dental treatments, then many options can be considered including all  the previously mentioned treatments . Another option that is commonly preferred by patients is to take out badly compromised teeth and  replacing them with implant restorations. This option is often one of the best options but maybe financially out of reach for some patients.

As I have pointed out many times in earlier posts, my preference is for patients to come for check up and cleanings regularly their entire lives. This prevents many problems and allows dentists the opportunity to 'head things off at the pass' before dental problems become complicated to rectify. If my reader is experiencing significant dental problems along with financial difficulties they may have some difficult decisions to make with the help of their dentist. If they have seen a dentist and are unhappy with what has been suggested they would do well to seek a second opinion, since often multiple possible treatment plans are possible.





from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2025/12/what-are-my-choices-if-i-have-badly.html - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/

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