THERE ARE MANY ways to crack a tooth, and the severity of the damage determines how we will treat it (or if it can be treated at all). When there’s a serious crack, we can make a plan to save part or all of the tooth. For a minor crack, we can recommend the next steps to take.
These are fine cracks that form on the tooth enamel, a bit like the tiny cracks that appear on the surface of glazed pottery. These don’t require treatment, and they can be disguised by whitening treatments.
If a point of a tooth becomes weak, it can eventually fracture. It’s rare for the damage in such a case to reach the pulp inside the tooth, so a simple crown is enough to restore it.
If the cracks extend from the chewing surface down towards the gumline and beyond, the tooth needs fast treatment to stop the damage reaching the pulp. If it does, only root canal therapy can save it.
If a tooth completely breaks into multiple pieces, it may be possible to save one of the pieces, but not even root canal therapy can save all of it.
If the crack starts at the root, it can be very hard to discover, and if endodontic surgery can’t save it, extraction may be needed.
HAVE YOU EVER wondered how people in the past dealt with something as common as…
HAVE YOU EVER wondered how people in the past dealt with something as common as…
TOOTH PAIN IS your body’s way of signaling that something isn’t right. Whether it’s a...
IT MAY SEEM HARMLESS, crunching on the leftover ice cubes at the bottom of your…
HEARING THE WORDS "root canal" can make many patients feel anxious, but understanding the...
THE DENTAL FIELD offers a variety of rewarding career paths beyond the familiar...