Have a broken bridge? Rather have it repaired than replaced?
Broken bridge repair is what we do when a piece of the bridge has broken away. We can repair some of these with an over-crown or taco shell prep.
In need of broken bridge repair?
This is the most cost effective option. In this case Alex broke one of the porcelain teeth from his bridge. He did not want to have to replace all 4 teeth that the bridge was attached to. To do so would cost 4x as much. Furthermore when we replace a bridge we also increase the risk of the existing teeth needing to have root canals done. He met with Dr. Bauer and they discussed his options.
We decided to do a slip crown on the tooth that was broken, essentially a crown placed on the bridge. The results were great. This is a very cost effective way to manage an issue when esthetics matter but the cost of redoing everything is prohibitive.
If you have broken a bridge and are hoping to find a cost effective treatment without replacement, perhaps this option will work with you. Give us a call and we can have you come in and take a look at your bridge and see if this will work on your bridge.
Taco prep for an overlay crown.
Another example of a broken crown repair type would be an overlay crown with a taco shell prep. The only time there would be any advantage to this would be on an implant when replacing the abutment and crown would be more challenging or more expensive like Salgado-Peralvo JPD 2024.
How do we do a broken bridge repair?
It is often a 2 visit procedure. At the first visit we shape the area that broke and we take an impression of the area. Then we temporize the area with a plastic mock up version of the crown. Two weeks later you will return and we remove the plastic temporary version. Next, we try in the final porcelain crown and then cement it on. We design this to stay on permanently. However, the same things that caused the bridge to break can also cause the crown to break.
How much does a broken bridge repair cost?
It usually costs about the same or a little more than a single dental crown. You can find this cost for your zip-code by typing in the dental code for a crown D2740 or searching for dental crown at fair health consumer website. Our current fee for this in 2016 is about $1400.
Other options to repair a broken bridge include bonding to the porcelain. Although this is not super predictable.
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One of the post on my bridge broke, the bridge is fine can I just replace the post and reattach the bridge ?
No. Sorry. That is not the same thing.
I have a loose crown, can this be re-cemented back on?
It’s possible but often a loose crown has some problems that may result in tooth loss. Go see your dentist.
I have a bridge that is detached and another that has chipped in the front. What do I need to do to get this fixed?
See a dentist as a detached bridge can be as simple as just re cementing but if you wait then the tooth inside can not be cleaned and roots away quickly.
Can a bridge be removed to repair a cavity or root canal and then the same bridge be put back on after cavity is fixed.
Yes. We use a wam key to do it. It’s not easy or predictable. Always better to repair the cavity or do the root canal with the bridge still on if possible. Usually if someone needs a root canal and has a cavity on a tooth it is because the tooth in question is in very bad shape and even though the bridge could be removed to fix the tooth, the tooth shape will be so different it will never fit back on again. The only time I have ever removed bridges is when the bridge is loose on one tooth and needs to be removed so we can recement. I would never attempt to remove to do what you are asking and doubt anyone else would either.
I have a removable bridge that broke in half while I was wearing it. Can it be repaired?
A removable bridge? A partial denture? A snap on smile? The snap on smile can not be fixed and they are meant for short term use only. A partial denture can be fixed usually depending on what exactly broke.
I had a root canal on one of the teeth holding my fixed bridge. The bridge crown chipped significantly. Can this be repaired?
I have a ten tooth bridge I cracked off half of one of the teeth in the front. I was told that it can not be repaired because nothing can adhere to the cap. Is that true? There must be some bonding material that works. I’m sure I’m not the first person to have this happen to.
You’ll have to see a dentist in person
Depends on what the bridge is made of. If there is metal showing then you can just do exactly what I did here. It’s not easy but it’s doable.
Hello i had a bridge 3 tooth in january 2019. it was not done well (and that dentist left the office) and the other dentist redid temp then permanent bridge again in may 2019. now have a pain and they sent me to endodontist for a root canal. he said don’t need a root canal but that the bridge is not secured properly to one of the anchor teeth. is there a way to reseal/cement the bridge on that one tooth without cutting off the bridge and redoing it?
I’m sorry there really is not any way to get it sealed after it is on.
I just found out I have a cavity forming under my bridge. I believe it is about 10yrs old and otherwise in great shape. It was not found via X-ray, so when he found it and started poking that was the first question I asked. He said not all cavity’s under bridges are found via X-ray. So now there’s a “watch” on it. Is there really a way to tell how little/big it is without removal? Is there a way to repair the tooth without full removal? He was just poking at the gun line it seemed so I’m not sure what to think but obvi don’t want to removal and waste my perfectly good bridge, yet don’t want to let it get so bad I can’t get another either. What are my best options?
Only the dentist looking at it could tell you this because depends on a lot of factors but mostly where the decay is and how big it is
What would you code for insurance for a slip crown on that bridge?
I think it was a pontic code. Whatever the code for a bridge pontic is.