Expert: Rafael Mosery,D.D.S. - 10/12/2007

Question
My front teeth over lapped slightly.  One of them was knocked out and re-implanted followed by a root canal 3 years ago.    A year after the accident I was re-evaluated by an orthodontist and advised that a crown on this tooth would have a better outcome if my teeth were straight and the tooth was butted up against other teeth. I have had braces for 1.5 years and was recently told that this tooth is suffering re-absorption and I will need to get it extracted and get an implant.  What happens if you just leave it and do nothing?  The plan is to  extract the tooth slowly using my braces to maintain as much as possible the integrity of the bone surrounding the tooth.  Is this a reasonable approach?  Due to other commitments I can't start treatment for 6 months -  is this likely to effect the out come of an implant i.e. how fast does reabsorption tend to occur - and what effect does this have on the bone?  Long term do people who get implants end up with a                           plate?
Thanks for any advise you are able to give.
Emer

Answer
Internal resorption is a very common problem with these cases.The advice you were given is top notch. Go with the plan .This will provide you with the best result since more often than not the biggest problem is the defect left in the bone with these teeth.You should make it happen now,don't wait the six months.The sooner you start the sooner you'll finish.Make this a priority.people That get implants keep their teeth longer than people that get bridges to replace the missing tooth. Go for it!