Cracked Teeth
A cracked tooth might result from biting on hard meals, teeth grinding during sleep, or even aging naturally. Whether your tooth cracks as a result of an accident or normal wear and tear, you may encounter a variety of symptoms, from unpredictable discomfort when you chew your meal to abrupt discomfort when your teeth are exposed to extremely hot or cold conditions.
In many circumstances, the soreness may come and go, and your dentist may find it challenging to identify the tooth causing it. Visit an endodontist at Highline Dental Practice as soon as possible if you notice these symptoms or believe you have a fractured tooth. Our endodontists focus on preserving damaged teeth.
Endodontists are experts at repairing broken teeth, and they will customize their approach based on the crack’s nature, location, and severity. The quicker you fix your tooth, the better the results will be. Most fractured teeth can operate normally for many years after treatment, allowing pain-free biting and chewing.
What Parts Of A Tooth Are Vulnerable To Cracking?
The root and the crown both have many layers:
- Enamel: A stiff, white exterior
- Middle dental layer: dentin
- Pulp: soft inner tissue containing nerves and blood vessels.
Tooth fractures may impact all or part of these layers. The location and degree of the fracture will determine the course of treatment for a broken tooth. Even though some fractures go undetected, a broken tooth may hurt or feel sensitive. Visit a dentist straight away. The likelihood of saving a cracked tooth increases with early intervention.
Do Cracked Teeth Heal On Their Own?
Will a fractured tooth naturally heal? No, is the simple response. An injured tooth won’t mend on its own. The enamel on teeth does not have a blood supply, unlike the bones, which have numerous blood vessels and cannot heal themselves when damaged. It is not sufficient to wait for the crack to mend itself. Our teeth’s inability to renew or develop has a lot to do with the materials that make up our teeth. Within the first six months of pregnancy, our teeth grow in our mother’s womb. Our teeth are not bones, despite common perception. Calcium phosphate makes up the tooth enamel. It’s frequently misidentified as bone.
Different Types Of Tooth Cracks
Not every broken tooth needs endodontic therapy. Some cracks are only ornamental, while others may require a tooth to be pulled.
Craze Lines
Craze lines are little chips or fissures in the tooth’s enamel layer. The health of your tooth is not compromised by craze lines, which are frequently the result of wear and tear and do not need endodontic treatment.
They are normally painless, quite superficial, and unproblematic. Craze lines are more of an aesthetic concern and, depending on their size, may accumulate plaque and stains.
Causes:Â Craze lines result from years of usage, persistent clenching or grinding, eating hard items like popcorn kernels, or chewing ice. Other reasons include oral injuries, using the teeth as tools, chewing on things, tongue rings, nail-biting, past dental drillings on the tooth, and abrupt severe temperature changes, such as drinking something hot and then immediately drinking something very cold.
Treatment: There is usually no need for treatment, so your alternatives are to ignore it or, if it’s unsightly, perhaps have a cosmetic restoration. Because it is difficult to eliminate craze lines, a veneer—a composite or porcelain material that covers the front of the tooth—may be advised to conceal them.
Bruised Cusp
Depending on how close a fractured cusp is to the tooth pulp, it may or may not require root canal therapy.
Causes:Â When the cusp becomes weak due to extended use of high force or severe tooth decay, a fractured cusp results. Chronic clenching and grinding, trauma, failed restorations, and biting into hard foods are common causes of broken cusps.
Symptoms:Â Include discomfort during compressions and soreness after the biting pressure is released. Temperature sensitivity, intense pain when chewing, gum inflammation, and a sharp edge on the tooth often felt by the tongue may also be additional symptoms.
Treatment:Â A crown is frequently used as a type of treatment for these fractures to cover and safeguard the tooth. Depending on how much of the tooth was cracked, a filling is advised in some situations. A root canal will help repair the tooth if the fracture is deep. Early fracture detection can prevent the tooth from breaking, and the damaged cusp is covered with an Onlay.
Cracked Teeth
A cracked tooth typically needs endodontic therapy since the cracks usually start on the chewing surface and go to the root. This type of crack frequently causes harm to the pulp tissue following root canal therapy.
Symptoms:Â The discomfort may be sensitive to high temperatures and chewing or a persistent, chronic pain that keeps you up at night. The main causes of a broken tooth include excessive occlusal forces, which are the pressures applied to opposing teeth when the jaws are closed or tightened. The chewing surface is more prominently placed on a broken tooth. A broken tooth moves toward the root, increasing the likelihood of root pathosis (disease at the root of the tooth).
Treatment: The crack’s severity and depth will determine how it should treat it. Treatable and untreatable cracks are the two types of cracked teeth. A crown is frequently the recommended course of treatment for a tooth that is saved from reconstructing the tooth and stopping the break from sprand eading. Early identification is is essential since the crack might continue to deteriorate need tooth extraction (which would be untreatable).
Split Teeth
Untreated cracked teeth can result in split teeth. While some broken teeth are preserved with quick endodontic care, others might need to be extracted.
Causes:Â This may happen as a result of bad dental behaviors such as ice chewing, clenching, grinding, and chewing on objects or hard food.
Treatment:Â If the tooth is saved, a root canal and crown are the suggested treatments. If the possibility of saving natural teeth is less, extraction is the only option.
Broken roots vertically
A vertical root fracture starts at the tooth’s root and rises vertically. This fracture may go undetected due to its placement; vertical root fractures are frequently only identified after the adjacent bone and gum gets infected. These fractures normally necessitate extraction, but in certain instances, a surgical treatment known as root resection can save the tooth by surgically removing the broken root.
Treatment:Â A radiograph can be used to identify this fracture. The majority of root fractures are linked to prior root canal therapy. Typically, the dental hygienist or dentist will find a deep, narrow pocket along the root.
Root fractures have a terrible prognosis and cannot be treated; hence, the only option for treatment is extraction. In rare circumstances, a dentist may attempt a root resection, which involves removing the broken root.
What to Expect?
Early identification is essential to save a compromised tooth. Cracks are typically not clinically evident; most of the time, they are discovered through symptoms.Â
Our dentist at Highline dental practice knows if you have any symptoms, particularly when eating, such as twinges, or if chewing on the opposite side of your mouth more frequently than usual has become a habit of numbing the discomfort. To try to mimic the experience and identify the source of the fracture, the dentist will use a biting stick that you should gently bite on.
Our dentist will find the affected tooth and help you get rid of the discomfort felt with the right treatment options. Regular dental checkups help you protect your teeth at the earliest and with affordable treatment options.
Schedule a Consultation
At Highline Dental Practice, New York, our dental professional detects your dental issues immediately and suggests the right treatment.
Please book an appointment with the dental expert at Highline Dental Practice. Our experts will check your oral health and provide the right treatment plan for your specific needs that enhances your oral health and aesthetic smile.
FAQ
1. Can I take care of a cracked tooth myself?
When a tooth breaks, your dentist could suggest an endodontist in Delhi (the dental specialist focusing on dental pulp and root issues). Try these at-home pain relief techniques before seeing the dentist:
Put an ice pack over your mouth’s outside to lessen swelling.
Rinse with some salt water to clean your mouth and teeth.
Anti-inflammatory drugs without steroidal side effects to reduce pain and swelling
2. Can a tooth fracture be avoided?
It is challenging to prevent every tooth break. Nevertheless, practicing good oral hygiene habits can reduce your chance of developing broken tooth syndrome:
Do not chew ice or hard foods.
Take good care of your gums and teeth.
Get a mouth guard made by your dentist if you grind your teeth at night or play sports.
Often see the dentist.
3. How long would it take to fix my fractured tooth?
“Depending on your therapy, it might take weeks or even months to fix a cracked tooth. For your specific repair, your dentist can provide you with a more precise time estimate. As an example:
Crowns: Your dentist is occasionally able to put a crown in a single appointment, although this is not always the case.
Extraction: It could take many months to repair the tooth with a dental implant after extraction.
Veneers: It typically takes three to four weeks to create a veneer before a dentist may place one on your tooth.
4. What is the prognosis for a broken tooth?
With the right care, repaired teeth can last for years without creating new issues. After treatment, tooth cracks might occasionally continue to widen or separate. This may occasionally result in tooth loss.
5. How soon should I visit my dentist regarding a broken tooth?
Sometimes a tooth with a fracture and an infection will develop (tooth abscess). If you experience any of the following, let your dentist know:
Poor breath (halitosis).
Persistent toothache
Fever.
Healthy gums.
Lymph node swelling
Teeth that are temperature-sensitive.