What Can You Do for a Fractured Molar Tooth?

We have already talked about solutions for chipped or fractured front tooth as a part of going into details of what can you do in a dental emergency. A fractured molar is, however, different from a chipped front tooth and the options and procedures to deal with are not necessarily identical to those of the front teeth.

What to do with a fractured molar depends on the type and extent of the fracture. If it’s only superficial, meaning, it does not involve the nerve of the tooth, then it could be as easy as a crown or even a more conservative restoration such as a porcelain onlay (where what’s missing is replaced only with a piece of lab-made porcelain). There are times that teeth surprise you though where the nerve is damaged from the trauma causing the fracture in the first place, but the damage is not visible at the time; the potential complication could arise in the form of temperature sensitivity or pain on biting that does not go away despite adjusting the bite. In those scenarios root canal would be inevitable.

If the fracture involves the nerve however, it usually requires a root canal treatment before crowning the tooth.

There are those unfortunate times that the fracture is more like a split in the body of the tooth in which case it’s usually non-restorable, meaning that tooth the tooth is to be taken out. I have had patients who did not want to do that and have left the split tooth in the mouth which has resulted in an infection of course in the area.