You may have a cracked tooth because of chewing on hard foods or grinding your teeth. Natural teeth can also crack with age. It is extremely crucial to seek treatment for a cracked tooth, especially if you have evident signs. Check with your Dentist in Manassas, VA, to understand treatment options, but before that, here is an overview.
What causes a tooth to crack?
Many patients suffer from sleep bruxism or teeth grinding, which can put undue pressure on teeth, causing cracks. A large filling can also weaken a tooth, leading to cracks. Eating and chewing hard foods, including candy and ice, could be a reason. Accidental pressure and injuries can also cause damage to natural teeth. People over the age of 50 are more likely to suffer from cracked teeth.
Types of cracked teeth
If you have minor cracks in a tooth that appear as thin lines on the enamel, that’s called craze lines. Craze lines cause no pain and usually don’t need treatment. A fractured cusp is the second kind, which occurs around a filling. The patient may not experience any pain if there is no damage to the pulp and blood vessels inside a tooth. There are also vertical cracks that can extend to the gumline, and in such cases, it is essential to remove the impacted tooth.
Know the symptoms of a cracked tooth
At times, there may not be any symptoms of a cracked tooth. Some of the common symptoms include pain while chewing or eating, heightened sensitivity to hot and cold foods, frequent or sporadic toothaches, and swelling in the gums of the impacted tooth. Because X-rays may not clearly identify a cracked tooth, your dentist may ask questions, such as whether you eat a lot of hard foods or have issues like bruxism. At times, a visual exam can help find the crack, or the dentist may use a dental dye to identify the crack. An X-ray may still be necessary to check whether the pulp is affected. They may also ask you to bite something to check whether you have pain when you release the bite.
Treatment for a cracked tooth
There are several ways to treat cracked teeth, depending on symptoms, type of crack, and location of the impacted teeth. Some common treatments include –
- Bonding: Bonding involves using a plastic resin to fill a cracked tooth, which will restore the shape, function, and look.
- Dental crowns: A dental crown is like a cap that will encase the entire cracked tooth and restore its function. Crowns are made using materials like porcelain in a lab and are customized for each patient. You will need two appointments to get a crown. During the first appointment, the dentist will see if the tooth can be buffed, after which they will take bite impressions and send the mold to a lab. You will return for a second appointment, where the crown will be fixed on the tooth. Crowns are highly durable and can last as long as 15 years.
- Root canal therapy: If the crack has impacted the pulp inside the tooth, your dentist will recommend root canal therapy. RCT involves creating an access opening, cleaning the tooth from the inside, and removing the pulp and blood vessels. They will then disinfect and seal the tooth. Root canal therapy may weaken the tooth, and it is necessary to get a crown after that.
- Extraction: If the extent of the crack is such that RCT cannot save the tooth, your dentist will suggest removing the tooth. You can consider restoration later using a dental bridge or dental implants.
Check with your dentist in Manassas if you fear a tooth has cracked due to grinding or a strong bite.