Many people have a cap or artificial covering fitted to a tooth for medical reasons. Asked whether wudu (ablution) and the obligatory ghusl (full ritual bath) are valid in that case, the Bengali Islamic portal Our Islam reports the view of learned muftis: there is no problem performing wudu or ghusl with a dental cap, and both are valid.
The reason given is that fitting a cap is part of treatment and often necessary, and the Sharia makes allowance for such needs. Islamic rulings take people's capacity and needs into account; where treatment or a particular need makes it hard to follow the ordinary rule, there is room for concession.
As evidence, the article quotes al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya (1/13), which discusses dye or material stuck under the nails of certain tradespeople. Although this prevents a complete ghusl, it says, a concession is made because of hardship and need, since cases of necessity and difficulty are exceptions to the general rules of the Sharia.
The article stresses one distinction. A dental cap is not the same as nail polish or similar cosmetics. Nail polish, or any such product on the body that stops water reaching the skin during wudu or ghusl, is not a medical necessity, so it must be removed before wudu or the obligatory ghusl.
A dental cap, by contrast, is fitted for treatment, usually cannot be taken off to let water reach the tooth, and removing it could cause medical problems. The two therefore cannot be treated under the same ruling.
Our Islam's answer, then, is that a dental cap fitted for treatment does not affect the validity of wudu or ghusl, and there is no need to remove it.
Photo: D.W. Fisher-Freberg / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Our Islam
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