Cracked Molar Treatment Options

The largest and strongest teeth in your mouth also have a huge responsibility. Molars are the back teeth and are perfectly designed to crush and grind the foods that keep you healthy. When you eat food, your tongue, jaw, and cheek muscles move food back to your molars. The molars turn a bite of food into smaller particles for easier digestion. We take this process for granted until something goes wrong, such as a cracked molar.

Trident General Dentistry offers superior dental care in Charleston, SC. Book an appointment with us today!

Schedule Appointment

Causes of a Cracked Molar

Under ordinary circumstances, molars must withstand significant biting forces each day. Unfortunately, some people add to the stress on their molars through various unhealthy oral habits. The most common causes of a cracked molar include:

Biting on hard foods. If you bite on a nut, un-popped popcorn kernel, piece of candy, or other hard food at just the right angle, you can create a molar tooth crack.
Teeth grinding or clenching. Bruxism, or chronic teeth grinding, can place stress on teeth even while you sleep. If you grind your teeth while sleeping, this can cause shallow, minor, and unnoticeable cracks. These can worsen with each night of sleeping unless you protect your teeth with a nightguard.
Chewing on ice. One of the most damaging of all oral habits is ice chewing. Sometimes it takes years to crack a molar with ice. However, it can also happen suddenly with one bite.
Trauma. Falls, automobile accidents, and sports are among the causes of blows to the mouth, which can chip or crack a tooth.
Sudden and extreme temperature change. Exposing teeth to a rapid change in temperature, such as drinking a hot beverage and immediately placing ice in your mouth, can cause hairline cracks to form.
Large dental fillings. Tooth decay can destroy enough tooth structure that it weakens the tooth prior to placement of a dental restoration.
Age. Years of biting and chewing on molar teeth can eventually cause cracks.

Different Types of Cracked Molars

All cracks are not the same. Each type of crack can look and feel different. Some require minor dental treatment, while others can result in the loss of a tooth. Dentists identify cracked teeth in these five categories:

Craze lines. These are tiny cracks found in the enamel of all teeth and usually not visible. These cause no symptoms and require no treatment.
Fracture cusp. Molar teeth typically have four cusps or elevations on their chewing surfaces that are important in grinding food. If a cusp fractures, it usually results in loss of approximately one-fourth of a molar’s chewing surface. A fractured cusp can result in no pain, slight sensitivity, or severe pain.
Cracked tooth. These cracks extend vertically from the chewing surface toward the gumline. Depending on the extent of the damage, the symptoms can vary from mild to severe.
Split tooth. A split tooth’s crack that extends below the gumline and results in separate tooth segments. These teeth typically need extraction.
Vertical root fracture. This type of crack originates in the tooth’s root and may extend toward the tooth’s crown. Unfortunately, these cannot usually be saved.

Signs and Symptoms of a Cracked Molar

You may have a cracked tooth without knowing it. These can be found during your routine dental checkup or professional teeth cleaning. Some of the more common signs and symptoms of a cracked tooth include:

Pain during biting or chewing. This can be a quick, sharp pain or cause a dull, throbbing pain that persists for several minutes. Depending on the location of the crack in your molar, you may not experience pain every time you chew food.
Sensitivity. A cracked molar can be sensitive to hot, cold, and sweet foods and beverages. This sensitivity might go away quickly or cause a pain that lingers for several minutes.
Swollen gum. A crack can cause an infection which results in swelling of the gum beside the tooth.

Dental Treatment for a Cracked Molar

Molars are critical to optimal health. Treating a crack as soon as possible can help you avoid more extensive treatment or even tooth extraction. The most common treatments of a cracked molar include:

Dental bonding for minor cracks.
Dental onlays for moderate cracks, including fractured cusps.
Dental crowns for extensively cracked molars.
Root canal treatment when the crack causes infection of the dental pulp.
Tooth extraction for severe cracks and fractures that split the tooth or involve the tooth root.

Book Appointment

The best way to prevent molar cracks is regular dental checkups. Call Trident General Dentistry for an appointment and a thorough dental examination.