Taurodontism In Your Molars: What You Should Know

Dentist Blog

Some of your teeth have an association of sorts with the animal world. After all, you have maxillary canine teeth and mandibular canine teeth, just like everyone else. But why would your dentist say that you also have bull's teeth? This is a dental condition that can affect your molars and is known as taurodontism (from the Latin for bull). But how does it actually affect you?

Your Dental X-Rays

Taurodontism isn't generally obvious with a standard visual inspection, and it's generally only diagnosed with an x-ray. X-rays can be an annual or semi-annual part of your checkups at the dentist clinic, and so taurodontism is usually discovered as a result of this x-ray, as opposed to your dentist actively looking for the condition. It's less to do with how the molar looks (as the difference will be negligible) and more about the molar's internal structure. 

Inside the Molar

When taurodontism is present, the overall body of the molar and its internal pulp chamber (which houses the dental nerve) is enlarged and extends downwards through the tooth. This complicates the tooth's root furcation, which is the normal division of these roots at the base of the tooth. While that might sound troubling, taurodontism itself doesn't directly cause any dental problems. As such, the condition doesn't require specific treatment.  

Problems With Your Molars

Your taurodontism can result in complications when your molars actually require treatment. The irregular formation of the molar's pulp chamber makes a root canal far more unpredictable, as it can be problematic for your dentist to efficiently remove damaged dental pulp before irrigating and then sealing the chamber. Likewise, the complications caused by the tooth's root furcation can make extraction difficult, and specialized surgical extraction is necessary. So when you have taurodontism, the main point is to maintain an excellent standard of dental health so that you don't encounter significant issues that require invasive treatment.

Some Extra Protection

Your dentist can help you with this maintenance, and when taurodontism is identified, a dental sealant can be recommended. This is a synthetic coating that is applied to your molars. It quickly sets and then acts as a barrier, protecting your teeth from decay. It's an added level of protection which can be a precautionary measure to address the fact that if anything was to happen to these teeth affected by taurodontism, treatment would be complicated. 

Taurodontism isn't anything to be concerned about, and all it means is that you need to be extra diligent with your dental health.

For more information, reach out to a dentist clinic in your area.

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29 January 2021

To Tell the Tooth: A Dental Blog

Do you care for your teeth like you should? Most people brush their teeth, but so many people rush through this process and are not as careful as they should be. Still others avoid flossing. A lack of dental care over the years can lead to increased decay. Thankfully, we have dentists who can treat decay with fillings, crowns, and in some cases, root canals. Dentists also provide preventative care. They can clean your teeth and use things like fluoride treatments to strengthen your enamel. The more you know about dental care, the better you'll be able to care for your mouth, so feel free to read some of the articles on this website.