[Implants] Can Teeth Like These Be Saved? (Broken Teeth, Split Teeth)

Welcome to the Sinchon Tooth Guardian blog.

I am Dr. Junhee Jeon, a specialist in conservative dentistry.

My broken tooth, my split molar...

Is extraction really the only answer?

Those of you reading this post may be

clutching your painful tooth and worrying,

afraid that the dentist might tell you to have it removed and get an implant.

To give you the conclusion first:

Some teeth can be saved, while others must be extracted.

The deciding factor is whether the crack has progressed all the way to the root!

So please visit a nearby dentist as soon as possible (it would be even better if there is a specialist in conservative dentistry there) and receive an accurate diagnosis.

Teeth have a golden window of time, too.

Today, I would like to do something a little different

and introduce several patients with similar cases.

Coincidentally, all of them had a split rearmost molar among their upper-right teeth.

As you can tell from the word “split,”

all of these cases involved teeth that had split in half from the crown,

with the crack line extending along the root.

In some cases, the crack remained within the root, while in others the tooth had split completely in half all the way to the tip of the root.

The common point is that all of them required extraction.

Please remember this:

If a crack progresses to the root, the tooth must be extracted.

That is the rule.

First case

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The patient came in with the back part of the tooth split.

With both the patient and me feeling regretful about the situation,

we decided to partially remove the cracked portion and try filling it with composite resin.

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But then—!

It was all in vain.

The tooth followed the connected crack line

and appeared even more clearly broken!!

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As you can see from the arrow, a crack line can be observed descending from the center of the tooth toward the root.

Unfortunately, there was nothing more that could be done.

The patient also accepted the situation calmly, and proceeded with implant placement after extraction.

Second case

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This was exactly the same tooth in the same area.

This time, the patient came in with the tooth unmistakably split.

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We immediately established a treatment plan for an implant.

The CT scan showed that the tooth had split in half all the way to the tip of the root.

Third case

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It had already been quite some time since this patient’s tooth split in half.

Food had become lodged in the gap between the split tooth, causing inflammation,

which had also resulted in an inflammatory lump forming on the roof of the mouth.

The tooth needed to be extracted without delay.

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As expected,

the tooth that had already split in half was pulled out helplessly.

All of the teeth above were the rearmost molars.

Because they are the first teeth to make contact when you close your mouth,

they are also often the teeth that become cracked and ultimately have to be extracted.

If your tooth happens to be in this condition,

or if it is progressing toward a similar condition,

it would be wise to visit a nearby dentist as soon as possible and have it extracted.

That way, implant treatment can also be carried out more quickly and safely!

This concludes today’s post.

Thank you for reading it carefully.

#신촌치아지킴희전준희원장 #치과보존과전문의