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Dentistry/Broken crown

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Question
My Mum who is 75 and in good health has a broken crown on her front bottom tooth.( She has a pallet for top teeth). Her dentist has said he cannot do a new crown and has suggested a removing her bottom teeth and replacing with a bottom denture which she doesn't want. Is this normal? I thought that dentists were keen to prevent tooth extraction and this seems a bit harsh. Can you advise? Could a bridge help? I have crowns and have broken them myself and don't understand why he cannot do a new one unless it is an age thing or a financial reason. Any advice you can give would be much appreciated.Thankyou.

Answer
Hi Gillian

If the underlying tooth is still healthy then there is no reason why a new crown can't be made.  If the tooth is decayed then making a new crown could be a problem.  Certainly if your mother has to lose the tooth then a bridge could be an option.

Regards

Tony Appleton

Dentistry

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Tony Appleton BDS DPDS

Expertise

I am an experienced general dental practitioner in private dental practice. I have worked for the past 25 or so years in the UK, and own a busy practice in Stratford upon Avon, Stratford Dental. From early 2012 my wife and I moved to Canberra, Australia, where I have taken up the position of Lead Dentist in a large city-centre practice. I will happily answer questions related to general practice, and have interests in endodontics (root canal), dental implants, CEREC/E4D cad-cam dentistry and cosmetic dentistry.

Experience

I have been a general dental practitioner for over 25 years, working initially under the NHS, but since 2001 have been solely in private practice. I run a busy practice with my wife, Lisa, who is also a dentist. I have also been closely involved in the training of young dentists, and have lectured to dentists on a variety of subjects, both clinical and managerial, related to general dental practice.

Organizations

Church Street Dental Practice

Stratford Dental

Modern Dentistry

British Dental Association



Publications

British Dental Journal

Cancer Treatment Reviews



Education/Credentials
BDS Sheffield 1986 DPDS Bristol 2001

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