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What can be done to treat this exposed piece of mandible bone? Is it even treatable at this point, or am I out of luck? (Photos)

I am 32 and I have no teeth. In 2002 my dad died and I, admittedly, grieved in the worst way possible. I used, and began a decade long addiction to, drugs and alcohol. Because of those poor choices, aspects of my health suffered, such as my teeth. Over the course of a few years I had them extracted, little by little. The last such extraction was 3 years ago, 14 teeth at once. This area, obviously, never fully healed. It is pretty sensitive and painful at times, feels like an exposed nerve.

Doctor Answers 2

October 11th, 2016

Jaw Bone exposed

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it is not really clear from the picture 

You will need to see a dentist. An xray of the site will reveal if this is a residual root of a tooth or if it is Bone 

In either situation it will be fixable 

If it is a tooth , it will be extracred 

If it is a piece of bone , it could be shaved down to below the level of surrounding gum line and slowly your gum will cover it 



Take care of yourself and Good luck with everything 






Elly Tehrani, DMD, MSD


Toronto Periodontist
5.0 out of 5 stars 39 reviews

October 11th, 2016

Out of Luck?

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Sorry to hear about your father and sorry to hear about your difficult journey. I hope you are doing better now.

This looks to me like a remnant of an extracted tooth. I doubt this is your actual mandible. The simple solution is to see your dentist and more than likely he or she will be able to quickly and relatively easily elevate that remnant of tooth out so the area can heal nicely and allow the dentist to fabricate some nice denture teeth for you.

Good luck...with the piece of tooth and your future!

Brad Lockhart, DDS
*Treatment results may vary

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These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.