Molar broke off at gum line
Have you ever thought about what would happen if a molar broke off at gum line? If you’ve never had any particular problems with your molar. It’s easy to see why you would imagine them to be indestructible.
But don’t assume they are impervious to all damage. Your molars are still vulnerable to chips, cracks, and breakages that can cause lots of problems.
A broken molar is never a fun or pleasant experience. It is a dental emergency, and it can cause severe pain, fractures, and small chips. Take it seriously and if the molar broke off at the gum line immediately visit your dentist.
Keep reading, this article will help you a lot to learn about symptoms, causes, and treatment if your molar has broken off at the gum line.
Symptoms of Broken Molar
If a molar breaks, the tongue helps you feel the missing part of the molar by touching it. Visually inspecting it is more necessary, but you cannot see it yourself inside your mouth without dentist tools. But you may feel the sharp, rough, and jagged edge of the rest left in your gum line with your tongue. Also read about the cold sore and treatment!
If you can see the remaining part it might appear yellow, pink, or red due to pulp and bleeding inside your tooth. The common symptoms are:
- Severe pain while consuming cold or sweet foods or beverages
- Sensitivity when eating very hot or cold food
- It can lead to serious infection and swellings
- Gum line injury
- Bleeding
Are there any other possible signs I should be aware of?
The human body is designed to indicate when something is wrong. But it’s up to us and our physicians to diagnose what these signs mean. Even the ones that don’t seem to be directly related to our broken teeth.
If you experience any nausea or dizziness soon around the time you have had a toothache. It’s possible that these symptoms are a result of problems with your teeth. Some pains, such as aching head, neck, or shoulders. These can also be associated with dental problems and may be early signs of blood poisoning.
Even though these symptoms sound quite scary, there’s no need to panic. Just go straight to the hospital and explain to them that your molar broke off at gum line, or you have noticed some ongoing problems with your teeth. They will then be able to determine whether your symptoms indicate a more serious condition.
Whatever you do, don’t wait until the problem gets out of control, the pain of a broken tooth won’t go away on its own. It’s better to have it fixed quickly, rather than deal with the long-term implications – which can be fatal in rare cases.
Causes of a Broken Molar
Our teeth are very strong, in fact, they are constructed from the hardest bone in the human body. But that doesn’t mean they are indestructible, sometimes just biting down on a hard piece of food can be enough to cause them damage. Here are some factors that contribute to molar break:
- Aging teeth
- Dental weakness caused by filling
- Accidentally biting of a hard thing
- Tooth decay or Bad teeth
- Severe teeth grinding
- Injury due to accident
- Sudden changing of mouth temperature
Are there any complications of a broken molar?
If a broken molar is left untreated, it can lead to:
- Nerve damage
- Abscess
- Severe Infection, which can lead to an infection of your jaw bone.
- Tooth Decay
What to do if a molar broke off at gum line?
In the few moments after any kind of dental injury. It can be hard to focus your mind clearly on what the best course of action is. A broken molar is a dental emergency and can cause serious dental problems, so see a doctor as soon as possible. There is a better chance that you will have the outcomes without complication if you visit the dentist immediately.
Here are some instructions you need to follow until you can visit a dentist.
- Mix a teaspoon of salt in warm drinking water and rinse your mouth with it, this will reduce inflammation.
- Avoid consuming any sweet, cold, or acidic food or drinks
- To prevent further irritation, use a piece of sugar-free chewing gum and stick it onto the remaining tooth part.
- Preserve the broken molar fragment in a plastic bag after washing it with warm water. It may be possible to reattach it.
It is always recommended to visit the dentist as soon as possible, whenever a dental problem occurs.
Treatment of broken Molar
There is a range of therapies available for broken molars. The type of treatment depends on what sort of injuries are affecting you.
Reattaching broken tooth
As we mentioned above keep any broken pieces safe, it may be possible to reattach them. Don’t remove any remaining shards that are still in the socket, they could be useful when rebuilding the tooth.
Reattaching the broken molar is possible if your molar is not deeply broken. It is a simple reattachment procedure in which the dentist uses several bonding agents.
If the pulp of the tooth is exposed, this technique can be combined with a root canal.
Root Canal
Your dentist will use this technique to remove the pulp from the teeth when a tooth’s inside is inflamed or infected. Besides the pulp, he will also remove nerves and blood vessels and replace them with rubbery filling.
Extrusion
If the molar broke off below your gum line the dentist will use the extrusion technique. This helps to move the molar slowly out of the socket to save a broken molar.
The dentist will provide you with aligners or braces to wear on the fractured tooth. You need to wear them for some weeks to pull the broken fragment above your gum line.
Filling or Crown
For minor damage, the dentist may use the tooth crown to cover the broken molar or filling to fix it. In case, if there is not enough tooth exposed to cover it with a crown, the dentist may perform a tooth lightening.
Tooth Replacement
In some cases, the tooth becomes unable to be restored and your doctor will pull it out. He will replace it with dentures, dental bridges, or endosteal implants.
How can you prevent a broken molar?
You can avoid a broken molar by considering the following steps.
- Avoid biting hard foods such as hard candy, chewing on ice, or other hard foods.
- Limiting intake of foods and beverages high in sugar.
- Avoid the use of teeth for cutting and breaking anything
- Must wear a mouth guard while playing contact game
- Make good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing regularly
Conclusions
If one of your molars broke off at gum line, you should see your dentist as soon as possible. The sooner you contact, the more the chances of saving the tooth. This is a dental emergency so you should take it seriously before getting it worsens.
Note: This article is for information purposes only not for clinical purposes. So, it is always the best and recommended way to visit the specialist if any problem occurs.
If you have more questions regarding the molar broke off at gum line, you may contact us. Our team is always here for your help and guidance.
