A person’s biting force can be as much as 300 pounds per square inch in the first molar region of our mouths. How much force is that? Our jaws are as powerful as a walnut cracker! At Midtown Dental in Sacramento, we don’t recommend that you use your mouth to crack walnuts, but this gives you some idea of the biting force exerted upon our teeth!

How does all that biting force come into play when a person has old dental fillings? The straight answer is- old dental fillings really weaken our teeth and make them prone to three types of fracture.

  1. A tooth can fracture on the outside enamel (treatment with a filling or crown)
  2. A tooth can fracture into the nerve (treatment with a root canal and crown)
  3. A tooth can fracture into the jaw bone (treatment only with an extraction and replacement of the tooth with a denture, bridge, or implant)
Tooth Fracture Diagram

The actual type of fracture that can occur from old dental fillings is completely unpredictable but totally preventable. Call Dr. Jenny Apekian at Midtown Dental in Sacramento for an examination. We can help you avoid a painful tooth fracture!

Call today at (916) 441–5800 to learn more about our dental services.