Godeok-dong Tooth Fracture: Check This Before Getting an Implant! Revealing the Criteria for Saving It

Hello.

I am the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

“My tooth broke. Do I have to pull it out?”

The sudden, sharp ‘crack’ sound while eating. You probably lost sleep over it, feeling flustered.

But just because a tooth is broken it does not mean it must always be extracted.

Even if it looks disastrously broken on the outside, if the foundation called the ‘root’ is still strong, there is enough to preserve.

Today, I’ll explain with a real case how a patient who came in wondering, “Do I need to extract it?”

saved a fractured tooth based on what criteria.

Save it, or place an implant? The crucial difference Godeok-dong Tooth Fracture: Check This Before Getting an Implant! Revealing the Criteria for Saving It

The 기준 for choosing a treatment when a tooth is broken is actually very hard for patients to judge on their own, right~?

I’ll explain it very simply.

In the end, everything depends on ‘how strongly the tooth root can hold up.’

• Crown

Even if the crown portion of the tooth is somewhat broken, if the root embedded in the gum is strong, there is no need to pull it out.

In cases like this, we smooth the broken area and place a sturdy crown on top like a cap.

Because we use the patient’s original root as it is, the chewing sensation when eating feels natural,

and it is one of the most representative ways to preserve the natural tooth.

• Implant

On the other hand, there are cases where the crack extends deep into the root,

or

there is so little tooth structure left that there is no foundation at all to support a prosthetic restoration.

If you forcefully try to save it in this situation, inflammation may actually worsen and only make things harder.

Sadly, in cases like this, extracting the tooth and placing a sturdy artificial root in that space

to create a ‘new tooth’ becomes a much wiser choice for long-term health.

Case of rebuilding a fractured front tooth with zirconia Godeok-dong Tooth Fracture: Check This Before Getting an Implant! Revealing the Criteria for Saving It

A little while ago, a patient came in with the two front teeth broken about halfway.

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At first glance, the fracture looks severe, doesn’t it?

The outer enamel had broken, exposing the inner dentin, so wear and fracture had progressed considerably.

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But after a detailed examination, fortunately, the tooth roots were very healthy.

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At first, the patient wanted a thin, bonded restoration called a ‘laminate veneer.’

But after a careful examination, this patient had a very strong biting force against the lower teeth.

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Since tooth wear had already progressed, there were visible cracks in the tooth.

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In a case like this, a thin prosthetic restoration like a laminate veneer had a high risk of breaking again before long.

So I explained to the patient sufficiently that ‘at this stage, durability is just as important as aesthetics’ for the restoration.

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In the end, we safely rebuilt the front teeth with zirconia crowns that can firmly cover and protect the entire tooth. ^^

Case where a broken molar was treated with an implant Godeok-dong Tooth Fracture: Check This Before Getting an Implant! Revealing the Criteria for Saving It

After completing the front-tooth treatment well, the patient, who was very satisfied,

returned some time later saying that the left lower molar had broken.

It was a tooth that had previously been crowned at another dental clinic, after even placing a post.

The post area itself had broken off completely.

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In fact, the fact that a post had been placed means that

there had already been almost no remaining natural tooth structure from the start.

After a detailed examination, fortunately, there was no crack in the root,

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but the amount of ‘crown’ structure left to support a new prosthetic restoration was far too insufficient.

It was unfortunate news for the patient,

but in the end, we decided to proceed with extraction and implant treatment.

As a dentist, I always want to save the tooth if possible,

but sometimes holding on to a tooth that has already reached the end of its life can actually do the patient more harm than good.

Rather than continuing to repair a building on ground that has collapsed,

it can be much wiser and more economical to install a strong pillar anew at the healthiest possible point.

Fortunately, the inflammation around the root was not very severe.

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This allowed us to perform an ‘immediate implant placement,’ placing the implant on the same day the tooth was extracted.

We inserted a new root immediately into the extraction site, significantly shortening the treatment period,

and completed the surgery safely while preserving as much of the patient’s precious jawbone as possible.

Two months after implant surgery, we didn’t just say with our eyes, “It looks good~,” but also showed the patient directly with equipment.

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The ISQ value measures how firmly the implant has integrated with the bone. The result was 85!

Normally, anything above 70 is considered excellent, and 85 means it has integrated very stably.

The patient also relaxed only after seeing the numbers directly. ^^

After that, we took a precise scan with an ‘oral scanner,’ which doesn’t require biting on sticky impression material,

and neatly completed the zirconia prosthetic restoration as well.

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When a tooth breaks, anyone would feel shocked and worried.

But if there is an accurate diagnosis based on the condition, we can certainly find the healthiest solution.

Treatment is not a matter of technique, but a matter of choice.

It is not simply a binary logic of whether to extract unconditionally or to forcefully save it,

but rather about thinking about which method will be usable for the longest time and with the greatest comfort in the patient’s current situation.

That is what I believe is the true role of a dentist.

We at Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic will think it through with you and make recommendations for what choice will be the most honest result for the patient.

Thank you for reading this long post today.^^

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Godeok-dong Tooth Fracture: Check This Before Getting an Implant! Revealing the Criteria for Saving It

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02-481-4278

| This post was written directly by Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic for the purpose of providing medical information in compliance with Article 56, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Service Act regarding medical advertising. The information provided is for reference only, and we recommend visiting a medical institution to receive guidance from medical staff on symptom assessment and accurate care methods. All procedures/surgeries performed at the dental clinic may involve risks such as inflammation, bleeding, and swelling depending on the individual. Please make decisions after sufficient consultation with medical staff in advance. The treatment cases in this post were photographed with the consent of patients who completed treatment at our clinic, and the before-and-after photos were taken under the same conditions. |