Is it safe to leave a wobbly crown for doing braces for more than a year before implant?

Question

The crown on my front upper tooth became wobbly after I bit into something hard. My dentist said there is not much tooth left to hold a new crown so he said I should do implant. But my front teeth are not aligned very well. He recommends I do braces for more than a year before the implant. He said it's ok to leave the wobbly crown and the braces will hold it. I asked about bacteria entering and causing problem. He dismissed it. Is it really ok to leave a wobbly crown for that long?

H. Ryan Kazemi, DMD · Answer

Hi

	If the loose crown is due to poor support and the root is healthy and with no gum disease / infection, then perhaps it can be maintained until the orthodontics is completed and then removed to prepare for an implant. However, if there is active bone loss or infection that is contributing to the loose crown / tooth, then it may be wiser to have it extracted and grafted and use an interim prosthesis until it is time for implant. Leaving a tooth with inflammation or infection can lead to further bone loss over a year and therefore is concerning.

	The collaboration between your dentist, orthodontist, and surgeon who will be doing the extraction and implant can be helpful in finding the appropriate treatment.

	Dr. Kazemi

Robert Penning, DMD · Answer

When an implant is done, the best success comes when the implant is buried under the gum for a few months. That would mean removing the root and adding a false tooth to the braces so ou aren't walking around toothless. The exception to this is when an implant is done with a temporary crown on it right away to preserve the papillae on either side (the pink triangles of gum between the teeth). I don't know that keeping a fractured, non-restorable tooth for a year during orthodontics will preserve the papillae in any case. Definitely a case that requires careful cosmetic skills by your dentist and surgeon.

Is it safe to leave a wobbly crown for doing braces for more than a year before implant?

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Is it safe to leave a wobbly crown for doing braces for more than a year before implant?

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Everything you need to know about Dental Implants

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.