Are you seeing a lot of cracked teeth?
I am!
But, which ones should be saved? Extract them all???
(Some practitioners think so, but if it were my tooth…… I’d want to save, if possible, and if prudent.)
Save:
This distal angular defect is small, maybe only 15-20% of the entire *root* length; I’d save!!!! Perio is a 5mm ppd.
In cross sections, CBCT shows the distal angular defect with bony changes below the CEJ.
Don’t Save:
This distal angular defect is medium – more progressed, maybe ~40% of the entire *root* length; I’d be hesitant save!!!! Perio is a 6+mm ppd (sometimes interproximal measurements are tricky.) Not only would this be a major food trap, but it likely would only last 1 – 3 years after RCT/crown. Most individuals chose against the investment of time and resources with these odds.
Tricky:
Pain to biting, Distal fractured cusp and food impact, but NO BONE LOSS. Transillumination shows many many craze lines but no cuspal fractures and no M-D split.
Dx: Perio abscess due to the fractured cusp and food trapping
Tx: flossing and resto/crown
Was referred for ENDO! You can’t believe how happy this patient ended up being after I told them they did NOT need a root canal (at time of consult, at least).