Fix Cracked Teeth

A cracked tooth can happen anytime and can be quite painful! There are a few options available to you to repair a cracked tooth but the sooner you get it taken care of, the better! Leaving a cracked tooth unchecked until you feel pain can cost you more money than it would have if you had simply gotten it fixed as soon as you realized you cracked a tooth.

What causes a tooth to crack?

We are all guilty of doing things with our teeth we know we shouldn’t such as chewing ice or hard candies or using them as tools when we can’t open a package! These seemingly harmless habits can damage the protective enamel and eventually leave a tooth vulnerable to injury. The inside of our teeth is not just more tooth structure, there is a system of nerves and blood vessels in the pulp tissue that keep the tooth alive and a crack in the enamel can leave the pulp susceptible to foreign matter and infection.

What do I do if I crack a tooth?

Time is of the essence so even if you are not experiencing pain, it is important to go ahead and see your dentist as soon as possible if you have cracked a tooth. The longer you wait, the more susceptible the pulp tissue becomes to inflammation and infection which would then require a root canal to fix! So instead of a simple crown, you now have to undergo a root canal treatment plus a crown which can almost double your expense and require recovery time that you otherwise would not have needed.

How is a cracked tooth repaired?

Hopefully, you called your dentist right away and did not require a root canal! Now your dentist can examine your tooth and determine what path of treatment will be best for you. For small cracks or chips, a simple filling or bonding might do the trick. With larger cracks, a veneer or dental crown can be placed to save the natural tooth structure.

Some fractures can be so extensive that they extend down into the pulp of the tooth, so even if you did call your dentist right away this severe crack would still require a root canal. If the actual root structure of your tooth becomes cracked, you may eventually have to have the tooth extracted. Your dentist can discuss your options to replace the tooth if it comes down to it but your Dentist is going to want to save the natural tooth for as long as possible.

Most dentists save time in their schedule every day for emergency visits. If you crack a tooth, get to your dentist as soon as possible so that together, you can restore the truth to a healthy state and hopefully prevent the possibility of losing the tooth.

More on Fixing Teeth : Fix Missing Teeth