Dear Sir/Madam,
my dentist is going to replace the crowns on my lower central and lateral incisors, which are 25 years old. All four teeth are "dead", without roots. Three years ago I had a purulent inflammation (granuloma) on three of these teeth, and an X-ray four months ago showed that there are still shadows at the root tips, meaning that the condition has not been completely resolved.
Extraction of all four teeth has been proposed, followed by a bridge extending to the neighboring canines — therefore a bridge of six teeth in total. I have reservations about such an extensive bridge in terms of strength and reliability, and also oral hygiene, because I am afraid that food debris will collect underneath and cannot be removed, causing problems. When deciding on extraction, I must also take into account that I will be without the lower front teeth for at least six months and will have only a temporary shell over six teeth for aesthetic reasons? I was warned that the shell is extremely fragile and that normal eating will be impossible, and I will also have problems with pronunciation. Do you think extraction is the only or best solution, or is something else possible, for example surgical removal of the root tips (apicoectomy)?
Thank you for your answer and kind regards.
Alenka