I'm looking for information about tooth root damage resulting from screw placement during jaw surgery. If you have experience with this, I'd be interested to hear what happened and where you are at now with this. How common is this? What factors play a role? Is the tooth a complete loss if a screw damages the root?
Yes, that type of root damage happens. I'd say it's in the 15 to 20% range in terms of how common. The length of your roots, where the cut was made, and surgical execution are the main factors.
Whether it's a complete loss depends on many things. In general, you'll go to an endodontist, and they'll give you the hot/cold test on that tooth. If there is no sensation, it is either calcified (on an x-ray this will look strange...cementum has filled in the pulp -- maybe you can keep it in this state and not even need a root canal) or dead (the pulp is receiving no blood). If the tooth is dead you can be looking at extraction, or at least a root canal.
