Cracked Teeth
Cracked or Fractured Teeth/Cusps
Whether your tooth cracks from an injury or general wear and tear, you can experience a variety of symptoms ranging from erratic pain when you chew your food to sudden pain when your tooth is exposed to very hot or cold temperatures. In many cases, the pain may come and go and your dentist may have difficulty locating the tooth causing the discomfort. As endodontists, we specialize in saving cracked teeth and will cater treatment to the type, location, and extent of the crack. There are numerous classifications of cracked or fractured teeth and the prognosis of your tooth will depend on which type of crack or fracture is diagnosed.
Craze Lines
These are superficial cracks in the hard outer surface (enamel) of the tooth. They typically do not cause problems and usually no treatment is necessary.
Cracked Tooth
These are significant cracks that penetrate the hard outer surface (enamel) of the tooth and can affect the pulp. They often cause injury to the pulp and therefore create the need for root canal treatment, followed by a restoration with a crown. Some cracks are extensive enough to require the tooth to be extracted. If the crack causes the tooth to separate into two different pieces, it’s called a “split tooth”. Often our 3-D imaging can reveal the extent of a crack prior to initiating any treatment. But sometimes the extent of the crack cannot be determined until treatment is started and we can see inside the tooth.
Vertical Root Fracture (VRF)
These fractures begin in the root and can extend in both the direction of the crown and/or the direction of the end (apex) of the root. Usually, the treatment involves the extraction of the tooth. However, depending on the extent of the VRF, sometimes endodontic microsurgery can save the tooth.
Understanding Cracked Tooth Symptoms and Treatment
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