Question:
I had a bridge ''installed'' about 10 years ago. (starts at tooth #12, no
tooth #13 & ends at tooth #14) Recently I've noticed that when I bite on
anything with tooth # 12, it feels like that tooth is 'shifting'....like the
bridge that sits on that particular tooth isn't cemented, I also get a bit
of an ache in that tooth...no real pain, just a tinge of pain...tooth #14 is
fine and neither teeth are sensitive to hot or cold.
I know I have to see my dentist to find out for sure what is going on, but
it's Friday night and his office is closed till Monday. My question is,
other than a huge cost to me, what can I expect? Would the entire bridge
have to come out and be replaced?
Answer:
It may have come loose from that abutment.
Test it by threading floss through and pulling
slightly and looking for bubbles ...... this is how
I do it for patients.
If it IS loose, please get it hammered off and
recemented before it rots through!
In my experience, a bridge retainer rarely just "comes loose" from an
abutment that has proper retention and resistance form.
It is quite common for a retainer to loosen after the abutment is
decayed. We can only hope that this is not the case here, but constant
pain in the abutment can mean fracture, or deep caries.
I agree, the sooner that bridge is removed to see what's underneath,
the better.
We agree, however C&B Metabond (Parkell)
works for ice-cream cone preparations!
I tried your floss ''test'' but saw no bubbles. That being said, the
structure around that tooth did shift and I got that familiar taste of 'goo'
one gets from infection. I don't suppose my dentist can just bondo the thing
back in place huh? I'm guessing the entire bridge would have to be broken
out, the decay fixed and a new bridge made?
I would tap off the bridge, hopefully without damaging it.
What is my batting average with this? Over 95% but then again,
I am skilled in bridge removal. We have devices for that purpose.
Damage sometimes means the porcelain cracks which my lab will repair for
one hundred bucks or less, providing its their bridge in the first place.
That's the advantage of long-standing relationships ~ things go wrong and
we need to MITIGATE the damage. That's our job.
One of the old standbys for removal is what I call a miniature reverse
dent-puller, exactly like they use in an auto body shop for pulling out dents but
smaller.
A friendly, relationship-based dentist could try that for you,
but please understand its the dentist's call!
