Cracked teeth are a common occurrence. A tooth may crack as a result of a variety of reasons including: Grinding, clenching or bruxing of teeth. This may occur during the night while sleeping. Many people are unaware that they grind their teeth.
Another common reason is accidentally biting or chewing a very hard object such as a seed, pip or foreign object in food. Remember that olive pit you weren’t expecting? Occasionally teeth are cracked as a result of trauma such as a knock to the chin. Contact sports, bicycle or skateboard accident.
Symptoms often include:
- Sensitivity to hot or cold.
- Sharp pain to pressure. Often with wholegrain food.
- More severe cracks can injure the vital tissue within the tooth resulting more severe pain.
Treatment varies depending on the location and direction of the crack. Sometimes the problem can be resolved by removing or reducing the height of the cracked part of the tooth and replacing or protecting it with a tooth coloured filling. If the crack is more significant or involves the centreline of the tooth then a high strength tooth coloured crown may be necessary. This strengthens the tooth by surrounding the entire tooth.
In some situations the tooth may have to be removed.
At Vincentia Dental SmileCo, we believe that prevention is the best option. Some measures that can be taken include the wearing of a nightguard on the teeth when sleeping to prevent damge from grinding.
Teeth weakened by previous cavities and that have large fillings may need support with crowns or overlay restorations.
