Is cracked tooth syndrome the same thing as a fractured tooth? part of one of my molars cracked off while eating last night, and i'm trying to do research to figure out what happened. are they the same thing?

The : The term cracked tooth syndrome is where a tooth is painful, but a thorough clinical exam with radiographs can't seem to pinpoint the problem. Sometimes if your dentist pushes hard on one of the cusps, a sharp pain will occur. You just broke off a part of your tooth. Have it restored and you should be fine.

Semantics! : Semantics! you tooth is cracked a bit fell off fractured off! did the crack go across the structure of the tooth or under into the body of the tooth. If a tooth is fractured and when you bite upon it you have pain, and then another sharp pain on release of pressure, you have cracked tooth or fracture tooth syndrome. I suggest you see you dentist immediately. Dr neil mcleod dds dentistry that lasts - quality that counts.

No. : No. They are not the same thing, although cracked tooth syndrome can eventually lead to a cracked tooth. Cracked tooth syndrome is when a tooth hurts sporadically upon biting. It is hard to determine exactly where the crack is because it usually cannot be seen. The main way to diagnose it is by the symptoms when you bite down on the particular tooth in a certain direction. A cracked tooth is visibly broken.

See a Dentist: If part of your molar cracked off while eating, several problems may have caused this to occur. 1) you may have massive decay 2) you may have an old filling that was wide, undermining the remaining tooth structure 3) you may have had "hairline" cracks in the tooth, that with continuous use, finally expanded and part of the tooth chipped out. 4) you may be a heavy teeth clencher / grinder.

Not really: "cracked tooth syndrome" is what we use to describe a tooth that usually acts normal but if you bite a certain way you get a shooting pain. A crown is the treatment of choice. The crack is not usually detectable. A cracked tooth is when a tooth fractures. This is usually caused by underlying decay that weakens the tooth or by a very large filling. This almost always shows up on an x-ray or exam.

Not the same: A tooth fractures if it has decayed & weakened the remaining structure or if it had incomplete treatment ( after a root canal), a cracked tooth does not necessary have a cavity or a filling, excessive pressure placed on your teeth from grinding or clenching can make it sensitive or it may start hurting spontaneously, treatment differs based on the symptoms and the extent of the crack or fracture.