When is a tooth not a tooth? When it’s hopeless! This is the name attached to any tooth in Leeds that is on the endangered list and it would have been put out of its misery years ago and pulled. This is probably why many people were wearing dentures by the time they reached the age of fifty. But thankfully that philosophy of removing a tooth at the merest sign of a problem has also been pulled. Nowadays, dentistry is all about saving teeth and there are many specialist fields in the business designed to do just that. The bottom line at looking at a hopeless tooth is to see if there is the support from the bone below and what can be done to restore it. It may take bone grafting, even gum grafting, but specialists will go out their way until the bitter end to save the tooth. Another perfect example of this passion for the life of a tooth can be found in the field of endodontics: this is the study of the inside of a tooth and you may be more familiar with root canal treatment. This is where anything inside the tooth that is rotten is removed and the tooth filled- again, to save a hopeless tooth (fillings do the same thing). Of course, you can’t push back the inevitable for ever, and especially in old people: if the level of periodontal decay is at critical, age will prevent any chance of growth in a graft and sadly to say, the situation will become, well, hopeless.