My front bridge came off. Can it be reattached?

Hello.

I am the director of Seoul Vardi Dental Clinic.

"It didn’t even hurt,

so why did it suddenly come off?"

This is the complaint patients often make when they visit because a restoration has fallen out.

With a front tooth suddenly missing,

how shocking and frustrating must that be?

If it were up to me, I would also want to quickly

snap! and attach it right back on. ㅜㅜ

But there are moments when I simply cannot do that as a dentist.

Even if it looks fine on the outside,

bacteria that have slowly crept in through the gap around the restoration

may already have caused deep damage to the tooth.

Today, I’ll explain in detail the causes of restoration dislodgement,

whether reattachment is possible,

and, through a case of a patient for whom reattachment was unfortunately not possible,

I’ll also share the proper way to respond. ^^

Why do restorations come off? (Causes of dislodgement) My front bridge came off. Can it be reattached?

1. The lifespan of the cement

The adhesive that holds a restoration in place can also dissolve or reach the end of its lifespan over time.

2. Secondary decay

This is when bacteria enter through a tiny gap between the restoration and the tooth,

causing the tooth to decay from the inside.

3. Gum disease

If the jawbone supporting the tooth weakens,

the entire restoration may loosen and fall out.

Cases where reattachment is possible vs. not possible My front bridge came off. Can it be reattached?

Many people wonder whether reattachment is possible.

In fact, the criteria are very clear.

1. Cases where reattachment is possible

When both the tooth and the restoration are clean and undamaged,

and the restoration simply fell out because the cement reached the end of its lifespan.

In such cases, we just clean the inside thoroughly

and bond it back in place,

so it is a fortunate case. ^^

2. Cases where reattachment is difficult

When the tooth inside the restoration

has turned dark from decay,

or when the root is fractured,

or when there is severe inflammation at the root tip.

Just as you cannot build a house on ground where the foundation has collapsed,

forcing the restoration back on in this condition

will only make it fall out again soon

or cause greater pain.

A patient case who visited because a bridge came off My front bridge came off. Can it be reattached?

Recently, a patient came in very worried because the front bridge (#13~21) they had received three years ago suddenly came off.

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They said their gums would bleed when brushing,

but because there was no pain, they did not think much of it.

After removing the fallen bridge and examining the mouth,

the situation was worse than expected.

All four front teeth had deep decay and had become badly darkened.

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On the CT scan, the upper right canine (#13)

showed bone loss around the jawbone due to inflammation at the root tip.

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The patient wanted it placed back on,

but after removing the decayed portions,

there was almost no tooth structure left.

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Even if we forced a post and crown in this condition,

if the inflammation at the root tip caused problems again,

it was obvious that the restoration we had worked hard to make would soon become unusable...

From a long-term perspective,

it would not have been a good choice for the patient,

so I honestly explained that reattachment would be difficult.

Treatment plan Front bridge dislodgement

After much consideration,

we decided to extract the four badly damaged teeth,

and proceed with implant treatment.

At this time, to reduce the patient’s psychological burden

and financial concerns even a little,

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even though four front teeth were extracted,

I proposed a plan to place only two implants.

You may be wondering, “We extracted four teeth,

so why is it okay to place only two implants?” ^^

Fortunately, the front teeth are not used to chew food

with the very strong force used by molars.

So, by placing strong implants like pillars at both ends,

and connecting the space between them with a bridge restoration,

you can use them stably, healthily, and for a long time.

Rather than unnecessarily placing all four implants

and increasing the patient’s financial burden,

providing treatment in the most efficient way

and in a way that brings real benefit to the patient

is also the principle I follow in my care. ^^

Fortunately, the bone condition in the other areas was good,

so we decided to perform the minimum necessary bone grafting only in the canine area,

where the bone had been lost due to inflammation.

After removing the front teeth,

do we have to stay without front teeth..? Front bridge dislodgement

Because it is not possible to live without front teeth while the implants fuse with the bone over 2 to 3 months,

we made a removable temporary denture.

But there is one thing you must remember!

A temporary denture is only an aesthetic device for social life!

If you wear it while eating, it may break,

and more importantly, it can press on the implants inside the gums and risk treatment failure.

So, be sure to remove it when eating.

Treatment result: completed implant case My front bridge came off. Can it be reattached?

Two months after implant placement,

we confirmed that it had fully fused with the bone

and completed the restoration with zirconia.

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251020 (before) 260106 (after)

With a natural color and alignment that are hard to distinguish from the surrounding teeth,

the patient was also very satisfied with the finished result. ^^

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If your front restoration feels loose or falls out,

don’t leave it untreated just because there is no pain.

If the tooth is decaying from the inside, the later it is found,

the lower the chance of saving it becomes.

We do not recommend indiscriminate extractions

or excessive implants.

We will think together about the method that can be used the longest,

and most economically,

in your situation.

Thank you. ^^

▼Check the clinic location▼

My front bridge came off. Can it be reattached?

Go to call for an appointment
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 Advertising Act. The information provided is for reference only, and we recommend that you visit a medical institution and receive guidance from a medical professional for symptom assessment and accurate management methods. All procedures/surgeries performed at the dental clinic may involve risks depending on the individual (inflammation, bleeding, swelling, etc.). Please decide after sufficient consultation with the medical staff in advance. The treatment cases in this post were photographed with the consent of actual patients who completed treatment at our clinic, and the before-and-after photos were taken under the same conditions. |