When you experience a cracked tooth, your comfort is our number one concern. We understand the pain that can be experienced and the anxiety that it may cause as you wonder what will happen to your tooth. Luckily, most cracks are easily fixed in the office, having you back to your normal routine in no time. In the event that the tooth cannot be saved, we have many methods to help you replace the missing tooth to help you retain overall oral health.
Determining the Reason for the Cracked Tooth
The most common reasons we see for a cracked tooth are sudden impact injuries, such as occur during sporting events or car accidents as well as biting on something that is too hard for your teeth. The latter situation usually occurs to teeth that already have a filling and are weaker than your other teeth. We will address the issue and help you to determine the appropriate treatment that is the least invasive and will provide you with the most relief.
How We Restore a Cracked Tooth
After we examine the crack, we will determine if we are able to simply fill it or if you will need something more invasive, such as a dental crown or tooth extraction. A filling helps in situations where the crack is minimal and will not affect the structure of the tooth and/or root. If the crack is more than at the surface, we can place a dental crown to help strengthen the part of the tooth that is left, leaving your roots intact. The worst case scenario occurs when the crack goes deep enough to affect your tooth’s roots. At this point, the tooth is not able to be saved and needs to be extracted and later replaced with the tooth replacement that we deem necessary.
A cracked tooth is nothing to take lightly; call our office immediately if you suspect a cracked tooth so that we can help relieve your pain and remedy the situation as fast as possible.