Tooth #30 in particular
About the lower right first molar
Tooth 30 is the lower right first molar. It is the sixth tooth from the center on the lower right, labeled 46 in the FDI system and LR6 in Palmer notation, with tooth 29, the second premolar, ahead of it and tooth 31, the second molar, behind. Closing your teeth brings it against tooth 3, the upper right first molar. First molars are the largest teeth in the mouth and carry most of the grinding. Tooth 30 is also an early arrival: it typically erupts at 6 to 7 years, behind the baby molars, and no baby tooth is lost to make room for it. It typically has two roots with three or four canals.
What tends to go wrong here
A lot of people searching for tooth 30 have been told it needs a crown, a root canal or removal. That reflects its history. First molars come in around age six, have deep grooves, and are the teeth most often filled, crowned and root-canal treated over a lifetime. As a lower molar it also takes the heaviest chewing load, so cracks are common, especially where a big filling has replaced the center of the tooth. When a first molar is lost and the space is left open, the teeth around it can respond: the molar behind may tip forward into the gap, and tooth 3 above can gradually move downward with nothing to bite on. Those shifts happen slowly and are easier to prevent than to correct.
If it needs treatment
Because tooth 30 is a working tooth in the middle of the chewing surface, the choice is usually between saving it with a root canal and crown or removing and replacing it. Each path has a different timeline and cost, and it is reasonable to ask for both to be laid out. Other questions for your dentist: is there a crack, and does it affect whether the tooth can be saved? If it is extracted, would an implant, a bridge using teeth 29 and 31, or a removable option suit you? What does the x-ray show about the bone and the nerve that runs through the lower jaw? And how soon should a gap be dealt with before neighboring teeth move?
What it does
What the lower right first molar is for
First molars are the largest teeth and do most of the grinding. They are the first permanent teeth to arrive, behind the baby teeth, without replacing any of them. Often called the "six-year molars".
Anatomy
Roots and canals of tooth #30
Typically two roots with three or four canals. These are typical patterns. The only way to know the anatomy of your own tooth is an x-ray, which is why one is taken before a root canal or extraction.
Common problems
What tends to go wrong with first molars
Because they arrive around age six and have deep grooves, first molars are the teeth most often filled, crowned, and root-canal treated over a lifetime.
If it needs treatment
Root canal, crown, or extraction on tooth #30
Lower molars take the heaviest chewing load, which is why cracks are common and why a crown is usually recommended after a root canal.
| Root canal: what to expect |
| Tooth extraction: what to expect |
| Dental crown: what to expect |
| Extraction or root canal? |
General information · Not dental advice
This page describes a typical first molar. It cannot tell you anything about your own tooth #30. We always recommend seeing a dentist. Nothing on this site can examine your mouth or tell you what is wrong. If something hurts, looks wrong, or worries you, book an exam, and go sooner if it is getting worse.
Emergency? If you have trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling that is spreading toward your eye or neck, a fever with facial swelling, or bleeding that will not stop, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room immediately. Full disclaimer