If Your Molar with a Gold Inlay Has a Crack, Immediate Extraction and Implant at Sillim Station Dental Clinic

Sillim Station Dental Clinic

I’m Director Park Jeong-gi of Seoul Remember.

Molars are the teeth that play the most important role

in the process of eating food.

In particular, they receive a lot of chewing force,

so they are under constant pressure every time you eat.

That is why, if the condition of a molar is not good,

it can cause major discomfort

in even your daily meals.

If a molar has a wide area of

caries, or

if there is interproximal caries between neighboring teeth,

then an inlay is needed.

One of these inlay restorative materials is

'gold'.

Gold inlays

have strong malleability,

so they are advantageous for people

who grind their teeth or

have strong bite force.

However, sometimes

this gold inlay can

affect the natural tooth.

Although it has the advantage of being highly malleable and not easily breaking,

it can instead act like a wedge and cause cracks in the natural tooth.

Of course, at the time,

restoring it with a gold inlay

would have been the best option,

but as time passes,

with daily eating and speaking

and repeated contact,

this kind of problem can arise.

So at Sillim Station Dental Clinic,

when a crack occurs like this,

we explain that the tooth is at high risk of

gradually sustaining more damage,

so it must be carefully checked regularly

through examinations.

Let’s look at the first upper left molar.

2025.01.27

This tooth is said to cause a dull or sharp sensation every time the patient eats.

This is a typical

symptom of a crack

and is a useful indicator

when evaluating crack syndrome.

The problem is that even if an X-ray is taken,

the crack is so fine

that it is not clearly visible.

2025.01.27

At Sillim Station Dental Clinic,

even if we want to show patients the crack,

it is difficult to observe directly unless it is very severe.

X-rays are an important tool for checking the condition of teeth,

but fine cracks are often difficult to identify.

At times like this, what matters most is the attending doctor’s

thorough clinical examination.

As in today’s case at Sillim Station Dental Clinic,

a clear cause is not observed on the X-ray,

but there is a precise area where pain occurs

when biting down on something hard,

and if that repeats frequently

and causes significant discomfort to the patient,

then there is a very high possibility that the tooth

can no longer maintain a normal state

functionally or structurally.

Once a crack has formed, it cannot heal back together on its own,

and it only increases the possibility of inflammation

as bacteria enter the area.

So in situations like this,

it may be better to extract the tooth with the crack

and consider an implant in its place.

*Of course, this must be done only after sufficient explanation from the doctor

and after the patient’s understanding and consent.

What is an immediate implant after extraction?

If you decide to have the tooth extracted

and to proceed with an implant,

then the next question is whether to place it immediately on the same day the tooth is removed.

This is sometimes called an immediate post-extraction implant.

This method has several advantages.

Because the fixture can be placed immediately

into the extraction site,

it means that with only one round of anesthesia,

both the extraction and the placement

can be done.

Also, the total treatment period is shortened,

so the patient can recover chewing function

more quickly.

That is why, at Sillim Station Dental Clinic as well,

after explaining this information to the patient several times before surgery,

we proceed according to the direction they want.

All treatment has been completed.

At Sillim Station Dental Clinic,

we extracted the cracked molar

and placed an implant in that space,

and I will show you the final prosthetic restoration.

2025.05.20

Implants perform functions similar to natural teeth,

and if properly cared for,

they can be used for a semi-permanent period.

That is why they are also suitable for areas

that play an important role, such as molars.

2025.05.20

However, if the natural tooth previously had a bite force strong enough

to cause a crack,

even after extraction and implant placement,

it is important to continue regular checkups

to see whether the internal screw has loosened,

whether the opposing tooth is okay,

and whether any fracture has occurred in the prosthesis.

Checklist after implant prosthetic restoration

Looseness

Unusual taste left in the mouth

Damage to the prosthesis

Rattling or squeaking

Pain

Severe food impaction around the area

If even one of the symptoms above applies to you,

please be sure to get examined at the clinic

where you were treated before,

and if visiting that clinic is difficult,

come to a nearby medical facility or

Sillim Station Dental Clinic,

and we will take a detailed look for you.

At Seoul Remember, our goal is to help you

enjoy meals healthily and comfortably,

so please feel free to visit us anytime.

Thank you for reading.

This was Dr. Park Jeong-gi of Sillim Station Dental Clinic.

Treatment period: 2025.01.27 ~ 2025.05.20