Cracked Tooth Treatments
A cracked tooth could be the result of clenching or grinding your teeth, natural aging, or biting or chewing hard foods. It is a common and frequent occurrence and a primary cause of tooth loss.
Some Causes of a Cracked Tooth
A cracked tooth may happen from several issues:
- The increased pressure from clenching or grinding of your teeth.
- Larger dental fillings weaken the structural integrity of the tooth.
- Biting or chewing hard food and objects.
- A blow or trauma to your mouth, like a fall, sporting injury, or an accident.
- Temperature fluctuates in your mouth, from hot to cold.
- Your natural aging, with a cracked tooth occurring more often over the age of fifty.
Types of a Cracked Tooth
Cracks can appear as:
- Craze lines- Very tiny cracks in just the hard enamel of the tooth. These are not painful and usually need no treatment.
- Fractured cusp- A crack that happens around a dental filling. It most often does not affect the pulp, which is the soft living tissue center of the tooth, and usually does not cause discomfort.
- Cracks that extend into the gum line- A tooth that has a vertical crack that does not reach the gum line is worth saving. If the crack advances beneath the gum line, the tooth may need to be extracted.
- Split tooth- A crack travelling below the gum line. The tooth can be separated into two parts. With this intense crack, it will be exceedingly difficult to save the tooth.
- Vertical root fracture- This crack begins below the gum line and advances upward. It usually does not produce symptoms until an infection develops.
Treatment for a Cracked Tooth
Your proper treatment will be determined by the specific location of the crack, the physical size, any adverse symptoms, and whether the crack proceeds below the gum line. Based on these elements, treatments are most often one of the following:
- Bonding- For this treatment, your dentist easily uses resin to fill the crack, which restores the function and the aesthetic appearance of the tooth.
- Crown- A dental crown is a popular restoration created in either porcelain or ceramic. It fits snuggly over the damaged tooth like a custom cap. Your dentist will first remove a thin layer of enamel to create room for the custom crown. Then an impression is made of the tooth, a matching color is chosen, and a dental lab custom-fabricates the crown. When the personalized crown restoration is finished, your dentist permanently adheres it to the cracked tooth. A crown can last a lifetime if you take care of it properly.
- Root canal- If a crack advances to the pulp, your dentist most likely will recommend a root canal to remove the infected soft pulp and restore the structural integrity to the tooth. This procedure will prevent the tooth from becoming damaged and weakening even more.
- Extraction- If the structural integrity of the tooth is beyond saving, the roots or nerves are damaged, then extracting the tooth will be your last and best option.
- No treatment- You could have tiny hairline cracks in just the surface enamel. If these cracks do not visually affect the aesthetics of your healthy smile and are not symptomatic, your dentist may suggest leaving them as is.
If you think you possibly have a cracked tooth, schedule an appointment to visit your dentist soon.