Do braces, dental fillings, plated teeth and dental prosthesis prevent ghusl?

- Is it permissible to have one’s tooth filled when he is junub? Does it prevent ghusl?
- Is it necessary to remove dental prostheses/false teeth during ghusl or wudu?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Oral and dental health:

The importance of dental and oral health is understood more in time. Oral health means bodily health. It is necessary to pay attention to both bodily health and dental health. As a matter of fact, the Prophet (pbuh) encouraged us to use miswak in the following hadiths:

"If I knew that it would not be difficult for my ummah, I would order them to use miswak before every prayer." (Bukhari, Jumua, 8),

"Miswak cleans the mouth and pleases Lord." (Bukhari, Savm, 27)

"Miswak is one of the sunnahs of prophets." (Tirmidhi, Nikah, 1),

"Jibril mentioned miswak so much that I thought it would be fard." (Ahmad, V / 263)

They aim to ensure the cleanliness of teeth and oral health. 

Plating teeth, implant, filling and prosthesis are the methods of treatment that started to be used in the last century related to oral health. The aim of those applications is treatment and they are necessary. 

The Prophet (pbuh) ordered us to be treated for illnesses and he himself used medicine and underwent treatment based on the means and conditions of the age he lived in. Two of the hadiths regarding the issue are as follows: 

"O slaves of Allah! Be treated because Allah created a cure and remedy for every illness except one: old age." (Tirmidhi, Tibb 2; Abu Dawud, Tibb 1; Ibn Majah, Tibb 1; Ahmad bin Hanbal, III/156)

"There is a cure for every disease. When its cure is found, the disease is treated." (Bukhari, Tibb 1; Muslim, Salam 69, Fadail 92; Abu Dawud, Tibb 1)

Dental treatment and ghusl:

Your ghusl is valid. There is nothing wrong with the ghusls you have made so far.

According to Hanafi madhhab, the inside of the mouth and nose are regarded as outer parts of the body. Therefore, it is necessary to rinse the mouth and the nose, wetting the inner parts of them during ghusl that is fard. Therefore, those who say that dental filling and tooth plating prevent ghusl hold the view that the ghusl of those who have their teeth plated and filled is not valid acting upon this principle. .

As it is known, when a tooth decays and it is carved inside, it is either pulled out and a prosthesis is placed or the hollow part is filled. While the prosthesis is placed, the teeth next to it are thinned and plated. This treatment is done due to a necessity. In today's dental treatment, one of these two ways is definitely used.  If a tooth is not filled, it decays and the decaying tooth is lost. In order to prevent this, the tooth is kept under protection for a long time by filling. It is thus understood that this treatment is essential.

If a tooth is filled or coated due to such a necessity, the filling and coating material are regarded as part of the tooth itself. Therefore, it does not prevent ghusl.

An incident that could shed light on this issue also occurred during the Era of Bliss.  Afraja bin As’ad, one of the Companions, had his nose cut during a war before Islam. After that, he had a silver nose fixed but he could not feel comfortable because it emitted a bad smell. Eventually, he told the Messenger of Allah about it. The Prophet advised him to have a gold nose fixed. (Tirmidhi, Libas 31; Abu Dawud, Hatam 7)

Acting upon this hadith, some Islamic scholars, including Imam Muhammad, stated that there was no drawback to having a new tooth placed or having a tooth filled and that there was permission for gold teeth. It is possible to find the details of this issue in the explanation of the hadith mentioned above. (Sarakhsi al-Mabsut, 1/132)

In addition, it is stated in fiqh books that the paint on the nail of a painter and the food residues in a hollow tooth do not prevent ghusl. Dental filling is similar to them. It is possible to remove the food residues from a hollow tooth and the paint from the nail but it is not possible to remove the filling from the tooth cavity while making ghusl. Therefore, dental filling and coating does not prevent ghusl.

If the dental coating or filling is done due to a necessity - it is generally the case - , it is a kind of treatment for the decaying tooth. This necessity is to be determined by a religious and specialized doctor. In a letter, Badiuzzaman Said Nursi states that the coating done upon the advice of such a doctor has no religious drawbacks, that the tooth at the bottom is no longer regarded as part of the visible part of the mouth but that the invisible part of it and explains it as follows when he answers a question regarding the issue:  

“That the part under the coating is not washed in ghusl does not invalidate ghusl. For, the coating on it is washed and replaces it. When the bandage over a wound is not removed so that the wound will not be harmed, the wound is religiously regarded to have been washed when the bandage is washed or wiped; when the fixed coating is washed due to necessity, ghusl s not invalidated. Allah knows it best but since permission is given due to a necessity, a person who has his teeth coated or filled for adornment and without a necessity, he cannot benefit from this permission. If a person misuses this permission deliberately even after it becomes necessary, this necessity does not make it permissible. If it happens indeliberately, permission is given for necessity.” (Barla Lâhikası, p. 157)

However, it is necessary to remove the detachable/false teeth and prostheses during ghusl while washing the mouth. 

This issue is available only in Hanafi madhhab. According to other madhabs, for instance, Shafii madhhab, it is not fard but sunnah to wash the mouth in ghusl. According to this madhhab, the filling and the coating of the tooth, as well as prosthesis do not harm ghusl. (see Mehmet PAKSU, İbadet Hayatımız)

As a matter of fact, the following is written in the valuable fiqh book called Multaqa:

If a person who has had to have his tooth filled cannot remove the filling in his tooth in ghusl, will his ghusl be valid when he washes the outer part of the tooth?

The answer: Yes. It is certainly valid.  (İzahlı Mülteka tercümesi, Taharet bahsi, p. 32)

However, there are two different aspects of the issue. We should not forget it. The first one is that a religious and specialized doctor should say that dental filling and coating is necessary. If such a doctor says it is necessary, this treatment is not wasteful but necessary. However, if such a doctor does not regard it necessary but if the person wants to have it done as an ornament to show off, it is not permissible; and it is wasteful.    

Those who say dental filling and coating prevents ghusl may mean this second kind of dental filling and coating.   

An important question comes to mind here:

- Is the ghusl made by a person who had his teeth coated as an ornament and to show off valid?

According to a fatwa sent to us by the Presidency of Religious Affairs and issued by the Silvan Mufti Office, dental coating made without a need and without a treatment purpose is not religiously permissible but the ghusl is valid because it is not possible to remove it.  

The origin of the fatwa in question as follows:

"Since it is understood from Hanafi and Shafii books that gold and silver-plated teeth made without a need are haram and that according to Hanafi imams it prevents the elimination of janabah state (impurity), the writing sent by Silvan mufti office dated 05/07/1945 asking for fatwa regarding the issue was read: It is permissible to have the teeth filled or covered with and connected to one another with silver and gold if a Muslim dentist's examines a person and says it is necessary in terms of health; and it is enough to wash only the visible parts of the teeth in wudu and ghusl; such a person is regarded clean.

However, it will be difficult for those who had their teeth filled, coated and connected to remove them while making wudu and ghusl since they have been fixed, it will be enough to wash the visible parts of the teeth; such a person is regarded clean."

In conclusion, dental filling and coating does not prevent ghusl. Since this application is used for treatment, it is not necessary to imitate other madhhabs.

No matter what madhhab a person follows, he can have his teeth filled and coated for treatment when it is necessary; he can make wudu and ghusl according to his own madhhabs, without having to imitate other madhhabs. 

Thus, it is permissible to have a prosthesis, to coat and fill a tooth if it is necessary and they do not prevent wudu and ghusl. The same thing is valid for temporary prostheses, which are part of this treatment. However, it is necessary to remove the false teeth that can be removed during ghusl.

Questions on Islam