Super eruption is a phenomenon that occurs when your teeth emerge too far from the bone in your jaw so that there’s not enough root in the jaw to hold the tooth in place. In the short term, this can be bad for your bite, resulting in uncomfortable chewing or even resting position of the jaw. You may experience jaw pain, headaches, and other symptoms of TMJ.
And, eventually, the super-erupted tooth may be lost.
A patient of Columbia SC dentist Dr. Hahn where super erupted teeth have been lost.
What Causes Super Eruption?
The emergence of your teeth is governed by a balance of forces. The bone is trying to push the teeth out, and it continues to do so until the tooth meets opposition from your teeth in the other arch. This force keeps the teeth in balance. However, there are several reasons why your teeth may become super erupted, including:
- Wear or damage to teeth
- Bad bite
- Loss of opposing teeth
- Poorly fitting restorations
Teeth wear used to cause the super eruption of teeth all the time. In the past, people ate a lot of coarse food, often with small particles of millstones in their grains, causing their teeth to wear down more than today. As teeth wore down, they had to emerge more to maintain occlusion (proper contact between opposing teeth). This kept the bite stable, but it resulted in an elevated risk of tooth loss. Today, most people won’t experience this degree of tooth wear, unless they already have a bad bite. However, if a tooth is damaged so that it’s short, the opposing tooth may become super erupted.
A bad bite can cause your teeth to become super erupted if only some of your teeth are contacting properly. The teeth that aren’t making regular contact can become super erupted over time.
If you lose a tooth, you need to replace it with a dental implant or other restoration to maintain the proper balance among teeth. If you don’t the tooth that doesn’t have opposition may continue emerging, and may itself be loss.
Of course, if you have a dental restoration that doesn’t provide proper opposition to the other tooth, it can also lead to super eruption.
Do You Have a Super Erupted Tooth?
If you’ve noticed that one of your teeth seems to stick out more than the others, or if there’s a particular tooth that’s causing you trouble when you chew or just try to relax your jaw, you may have a super erupted tooth.
If you are looking for treatment for your super erupted tooth, please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment with a Columbia SC dentist today at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
