Root canal tooth broken

[Philippa]

I went to the dentist last week and he said i have a root canal tooth broken at the back of my mouth. It isn’t giving me pain, but iv been told there isn’t much left of the tooth!

What should i do? Mu dentist didn’t explain my options clearly as he was in a hurry. If i have an extraction, do i need to put something in its place, if so what?

A friend of mine recently had a dental implant placed. Is that something that I could have under sedation? I'm in my 70’s. Am I too old for implants?

Thank you Dr.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

A root canal treated tooth should usually be crowned to prevent it from fracturing during function.

If the tooth can be saved, it might be possible to build it up with post and core and place a crown over the roots so that that once again is in function.

If the tooth cant be saved, then I am affraid, it will need to be removed and either left as a gap, a denture, an implant or a bridge placed depending on the clinical situation.

You can have dental implant treatment with IV sedation and age is not a barrier to implant treatment. We have placed dental implants for patients who are in their eighties without any problems.