Dental Bridge Archives - Allyson K Hurley, DDS

Keeping Our Patients Safe

Dear Friends:
I am excited to announce that we are accepting new patients again. To insure that our patients and staff stay safe myself and the full staff have received the Covid-19 vaccination . We would like to ease your concerns about coming to the office.

Click here for our new office safety protocol

Hi. I’ve got a tooth that is badly decayed. How do you know when to remove it and get an implant, or just do a root canal and a crown. My dentist wants to do an implant, but I would rather keep my tooth.

Thanks, John

John,

I’m sorry about your tooth. My feeling is it would depend on how decayed the tooth is. If the tooth can be saved, that is almost always the best option, and yes, you could do a root canal/crown. If, however, it is very badly decayed, then saving it isn’t an option, and an implant or a dental bridge would be good options. For that to be the case the decay would have to go all the way through the tooth to the underside. Other than that, I think your tooth could be saved. Perhaps it would be a good idea to get a second opinion.

This blog is sponsored by Dr. Allyson Hurley.

Why didn’t my dentist tell me about the Maryland Bridge? I discovered this myself while searching on the Internet.

Ken in Grand Forks, MN

Dear Ken,

In most cases a Maryland Bridge won’t work for a missing tooth. Further, some dentists really don’t know how to do them, and there can be technical problems, because they are not as strong or reliable compared to a conventional dental bridge.

In my opinion, the dentist should provide you with all of the options for a missing tooth: either a conventional dental bridge or a dental implant is the way to go. And in some cases, a removable partial denture may be another option. In some unique situations, an Encore Bridge or Maryland Bridge would be an option.

Learn more about procedures used for missing teeth here.