ok here is my dilema...if anyone can answer me please do.
i had a root canal done almost 2 yrs ago on a side tooth that you really cant see even if i smile. i never had it capped cuz i had other stuff going on in my life so that took a back seat.
about 4 mo ago the inner filling fell out, then 1 week later the front part broke off. so just the back part of the tooth was still attached. i was going to get it removed all the way.
now the back part broke off today. so just the root of the tooth is left in there.
so my question is...do i have to get the root taken out?? the tooth is dead from the root canal previously. so it doesnt hurt or anything.
please let me know.

I was in this same situation a few years ago......actually, I have lost the filling in one root canal and tooth chipped away around a filling in another root canal (parents never took me to a dentist as a kid).

Anyways, the one that the filling came out, I just had them pull the tooth. It was right next to a wisdom tooth so you can't tell. You can have a bridge (which is a false tooth in the middle and then the tooth on each side of the false one is capped--its one peice, hence "bridge")

The second one, half my tooth chipped away from a filling. The dentist actually grinded my tooth down to a knub and I had it capped over. It looks like a real tooth.

They can do so much.....dentist even told me once that he could do a tooth implant I think he said something about putting a screw coming out of the jaw and through the gum
OOOOoooooo I just got goosebumps!

Good luck

If you out your dead teeth or root canal so you feel pain because i have experience of this and i already do this with my teeth. BTW just go to the dentist place and tell him/her. They give you best suggestion. May be they refill it and you feel better.

Take care

Hi Tracie,
In answer to removing the root of your tooth…You do not have one. A root canal is the removal of the root, which is why your tooth is dead.

The reason you are now losing the tooth in bits and pieces is because the tooth is dead, therefore it has become very brittle. A newly root canaled tooth needs to be capped or crowned or the end result is what you are going through now.

Root canals are to fix the pain of an abscessed tooth (infected root) but the crown is required to ensure that you retain the tooth. You now have a few options at this point:

1. Remove the remaining pieces of the tooth, a simple extraction, live with the gap
2. Extraction of the remaining pieces, then place a bridge or partial, depending on the location
3. Extraction of the remaining pieces, then place an implant

Meeting with your dentist will also help you decide which way to go as budget will also play a factor in the decision you make.

Good Luck