Crowns/impants/bridges dental anxiety

[KatyMac]

I have 4 front crowns and one is continually failing because the bone is chipped/worn away and it can't be held straight

It now has wings behind the tooth either side which has now made the next tooth wobble as well as my problem tooth

I can't visit the dentist until one or other comes out as to remove a wobble crown causes pressure/stress on the root

We've agreed as it's happened again it's time to talk alternatives; I know that a bridge means the roots have to come out which will have to happen under sedation because of my anxiety

What is the process for implants? Can they happen at the same time or will there be a gap (and therefore a second sedation?) What happens in the meantime? Am I toothless?

Feeling out of control - I know my amazing dentist will talk it all through but I don't want to take an emergency appt before Christmas just for him to reassure me (as he can't do anything with a wobbly tooth anyway)

[BlueCornsihPixie]

If the tooth is wobbly it'll come out easily. If you can't have a wobbly tooth out under local I really doubt you will cope with an implant.

Do you have bone loss around this tooth? If so you will most likely need a bone graft before implants so yes there will most likely be a wait between extraction and implant, they aren't normally done on exactly the same appointment regardless.

You can have a temporary denture to fill the space, it's unlikely your dentist will just leave you with a gap! If your adjacent tooth is wobbly a bridge might not be suitable, but there's also temporary bridges

I don't understand why you can't visit the dentist, you really need to go and make a plan for what is going to happen with this wobbly tooth. If it is causing the adjacent tooth to become wobbly it needs to come out soon really.

[KatyMac]

I'm seeing him in January - they only have emergency appointments left before Christmas and it isn't an emergency

It took 11 weeks to go from wobbly to out last time

No the bone was chipped in an accident

[BlueCornsihPixie]

What do you mean? Are you expecting the crown to fall out? is the crown thats wobbly or the whole tooth?

The dentist should be able to remove the crown or the whole tooth on its own, they shouldn't be waiting for either to fall out.

If you've lost bone in an accident chances are you'll still need a graft prior to an implant, if there's not enough bone to support tooth theres not enough to support an implant normally.

Id actually be perfectly happy to see this in an emergency appointment OP if you are worried, especially if its the crown thats wobbly on its own. You need a plan for management and if you are considering implants the quicker you can get treatment the better really

[KatyMac]

2 of the crowns are wobbly the one with the wings and one of the ones next to it

We have been working on keeping it as a crown for about a year now

I mean I am 51 and the tooth/bone was damaged when I was about 7/8 and it's been crowned since about 93 and it all went wrong after an op (triggered menopause or got knocked?)

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

OP, I suffer from a type of neuralgia which means I have pain in my teeth that’s my nerves, not actually my teeth, and it moves about from place to place. When it was in my front teeth I was terrified they would need extracted and I would be left with a big gap - at this point I hadn’t yet been referred to hospital and was a general nuisance/mystery to my lovely dentist, who maintained all my teeth were perfectly healthy. Anyway, she reassured me that they would never leave a patient with a visible gap. She said the only way that would happen would be if the patient chose it, or if they had an accident where the tooth was smashed/knocked out and came in as an emergency.

I understand completely the feeling of being anxious, and like things are out of control. My dentist is absolutely fantastic, and I think in your circumstances she would be happy to see a patient rather than have that person worried sick. When I was trailing back and forth with my “phantom pain” (in various teeth, virtually insane with panic!) she said her least favourite patients were people who have left a broken filling for three months, then demand to be seen on Christmas Eve!

[KatyMac]

I know last minute appts are a pain - but we had a little chat and he is happy to leave it until it falls out - it took nearly 11 weeks last time - so we know what to expect!

Poor you random tooth pain must be a nightmare!

[Tasharuby1]

I use to be a dental implant technician.
You have a few options. You can have a bridge that can stabilise the teeth depending on condition of the teeth and the teeth around.
Maryland bridges which is what you have now often fall out due to lack of retention.
Implants can be expensive but more of a permit fix.
You will not be left without teeth in between.
An acrylic temporary bridge will be made and stuck in while you wait for your next appointment.

[KatyMac]

One has fallen out! so I'm seeing him today to have a quick fix for Christmas
Thanks @Tasharuby1