Isn’t it funny when you realize that just by biting into a portion of food, you break a piece of your teeth? A broken tooth shouldn’t be a cause of alarm except your look is your business. However, if the crack tooth is close to the gum or causes excruciating pain or affects the root canal, then you need an emergency broken teeth treatment.
There are several treatments to repair a broken or damaged tooth but before we delve straight into it, let’s educated ourselves with some factors that can cause you to break a tooth.
Causes of a Cracked tooth
Asides from age as experienced by the elderly, who do not have sufficient calcium to strengthen their teeth or suffering from fragile or weak teeth other causes of crack teeth are:
- Consistent grinding of the teeth – this can be noticed in kids or some adult
- Biting or chewing hard food that results in breaking of the softer tip or cracking down to the gum or roots
- A heavy impact to the face like in a fight or fall
- Cracks resulting from a previous tooth filling that weaken the tooth structure
- An abrupt change in food temperature in the mouth or an underlying tooth infection
Symptoms of crack tooth
Except when the crack is visible to the eye, most people will neglect certain issues that will let you know if your teeth have a crack or might start cracking. The teeth are a bony structure of different layers piled one after the other, the harder enamel part when cracked is okay but when this crack affects the nerve endings and blood vessel, you need a broken tooth emergency to fix that.
Symptoms are
- Pains during chewing and biting
- Pain when consuming cold or hot foodstuff
- Pain in a particular tooth or set of teeth that comes and go
- Pain triggered by certain actions
Types of Cracked Teeth
Simple or craze line Crack: this is a simple crack or clipped off the outer part of the enamel. It doesn’t cause or result in any pain, and unless if very noticeable, you can forget about it as it requires no treatment.
A Fracture Cusp Crack: this usually occurs due to a large tooth filling in the tooth; this types of cracks don’t affect the soft tissue of the teeth usually the blood vessels and nerves endings of the teeth and there is no pain, but it is advisable to see a certified dentist or endodontist to check it out and prevent a possibility of an infection in the tooth
A serious crack: this is a tooth crack that cracks in a vertical direction just above the gum line. The tooth might divide, but it can be restored. The process involves extracting the teeth, and fixing a new porcelain tooth or whatever the dentist thinks will work for you.
Split Tooth: this crack goes beyond the gum line with a distinct separation of the two sections. It doesn’t really cause too much pain, but it is better to seek treatment before it gets worse. In most cases, the tooth is extracted or part of it is removed, and then fixed.
Crack Root: this crack extends deep below the gum and throughout the entire structure of the teeth. If the crack is not separate, the teeth can be saved otherwise; it is extracted and treated accordingly.
Diagnosing the extent of a crack teeth
- When you suspect your tooth has a crack, check yourself into hospital or call your 24 hour emergency dentist near me for a check-up. The procedure is:
- The dentist asks for your dental history including chewing habits including grinding of teeth.
- He checks the tooth if the crack is a visible one or uses a magnifying lens if its deep within the mouth or asks for an X-ray to be taken
- He uses a dental explorer to feel around the teeth to know the extent of the crack and what treatment is right for it
- In other cases, he uses dental eyes to see determine the exact crack while checking for other tooth damage including inflammation, decay or abscesses
- Other checks include biting down on something to determine if there is any pain and the depth of the pain.
Crack Tooth Treatment
The treatment for a crack tooth is plenty and depends on the crack. Some major treatments are:
Gluing: this involves attaching the chipped tooth back on the parent tooth with glue and filing it to shape
Bonding: In this treatment process, the dentist uses a resin to fill the crack in the teeth restoring the shape, look and function of the teeth back to normal.
Crowning: when a crown is required for a cracked tooth, it usually means part of the tooth is completely broken. In this procedure, a new dental is made with ceramic or porcelain to the exact shape of the damaged tooth. Prior to fitting the new teeth, the dentist files away the upper surface of the enamel, makes an impression to fit your parent tooth in size and color. This is not done immediately as the impression is made in a lab. On a return visit, the new tooth is fitted and cemented to your cracked tooth, filed, smoothed and polished. This will last a lifetime if proper oral hygiene is maintained.
Root canal treatment: this procedure occurs when the crack is extensive and reaches the root system of the tooth. In this procedure, the dentist or surgeon will extract some pulp to prevent tooth infection before restoring the tooth. This prevents any weakness or decay to the tooth in the future.
Complete extraction: if the cracked tooth is dead and non-functional, your Walk In Dentist near me will recommend removing the tooth completely and the possibility of attaching a new fake tooth is its place.
After-care
When a cracked tooth is fixed, keep up with your oral hygiene and ensure to check with your dentist at regular intervals. It will also help to improve your chewing habits and desist from what caused the tooth crack in the first place.
If you have a cracked tooth, please do not go to an un-certified or quack dentist because you want to save money, visit a qualified dentist that will address the issue and give you a mouth full of beautiful teeth.
