Bryanna ? about cracks/fissures
 

Hey stranger ! Everything is fine with the tooth and feels great.
I noticed tah a couple of my upper rear molars have what looks like cracks on the biting surface of the cusp.

Now are these what are clled fissures ?? If so do they mean the tooth is gonna break off there ? I think I have had these for years and they look like a fine black line or crevice. If this does break off the cusp then what ??

Im sosososo gun shy about cracks...

Hey cvcman!!

How are ya?
Glad to hear that your tooth feels good =)

Those crack looking areas in the biting cusps can be fissures or small abrasions in the enamel. They do not necessarily mean that the teeth are weaker or more prone to cracking. It depends on how deep they are and why they are like that. They may be indicative of a grinding or clenching habit...... do you do either of those??

If a small piece of the cusp breaks off of a tooth, it can sometimes be smoothed down or a small filling can be placed in that area. If the cusp breaks further down the tooth, then either a filling or a crown could be done to prevent further fracture.

If you do have a grinding habit......... then wearing a simple nightguard might be very helpful as this would protect further cracking of the cusps.

Bryanna