Cracked Tooth Treatments
A cracked tooth is unfortunately a pretty common problem that many adults face. A tooth can crack as a result from old fillings, grinding your teeth, eating hard foods, decay, or trauma to the mouth. Some cracks occur naturally as we get older, called craze lines, and only affect the hard enamel on the outer surface of the tooth and do not need to be treated. Other cracks can be severe and actually split your tooth into two pieces.
Depending on the extent of the crack, you may not feel any pain at all or may have extreme sensitivity and pain. In addition to pain, other symptoms of a cracked tooth include swelling, and sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet foods and beverages.
How is a cracked tooth treated?
Your dentist will have a few treatment options to fix a cracked tooth and will choose the appropriate path according to the severity of damage. Below are the most common treatments for a cracked tooth.
Contouring: Sometimes, small cracks can be smoothed out. Your dentist will use a filing tool to reshape and smooth the tooth to make sure there are no rough edges.
Bonding: Composite bonding can fix minor cracks. Bonding uses the same composite material that is used to fill a small cavity and is tinted to match your tooth color. Once the bonding is applied, it is shaped and hardened with an ultraviolet light then smoothed and polished to blend in with the rest of the tooth.
Root Canal Therapy: If a crack is deep and extends into the pulp, the tooth can become infected when food debris and bacteria enter through the crack. The pulp of the tooth holds the nerves and blood supply of each tooth and root canal treatment removes all of that tissue to prevent further infection and often provides instant pain relief.
Crown or Veneer: A crown and a veneer are both a porcelain restoration and have the same process of application but a veneer is much thinner and is only placed on the front of an anterior tooth. Crowns are thicker, cover the whole tooth, and can be placed on any tooth.
Extraction: If a cracked tooth cannot be saved, extracting the tooth may be the only option. When a crack is large enough that it actually splits the tooth into multiple pieces, the tooth is hopeless. Your dentist will provide you with options to replace the tooth once it has been removed, like a dental bridge or dental implant.
The sooner a crack is identified, the better the chance of saving the tooth. Many dental issues have similar symptoms so it is important to see your dentist to determine the cause. A cracked tooth will only get worse over time so getting it fixed before it gets worse will help prevent further damage and keep treatment to a minimum.