Cracked Tooth Syndrome
Six months ago we were contacted by a patient named Sandra, who told us that one of her teeth intermittently hurt when she ate. The pain seemed to be in a certain molar toward the bottom front of her mouth. When she felt it, it was very sharp. However, it lacked the constant aching feeling most people associate with toothaches. She had looked at the tooth in the mirror several times, but found nothing wrong with it.
When Sandra came in for her appointment, we pull up her medical history on our computer. It revealed that she had been suffering from anxiety for the past few years. This caused her to grind her teeth at night without even knowing she was doing it. (In dental terminology, this grinding of teeth is known as Bruxism. We investigated further, taking a good, close look at the tooth in question by means of our intraoral camera. We found there was a very fine, but severely deep crack on the inside surface of the molar. In fact, this crack was so deep it was dangerously close to breaking into the nerve chamber. If were to happen, the way to avoid tooth extraction would have been to perform a root canal.
Cracked tooth syndrome is not the same thing as a fractured tooth. Fractures are more severe, and often clearly visible in the mirror even without dental instruments. Cracked tooth syndrome is much more subtle. It often takes very sophisticated dental instruments to detect the cracks in teeth, and since the syndrome causes such intermittent symptoms at times, many people assume that the problem is not that severe. This is not the case. If the crack in the tooth works its way all the way to the nerve cavity, then a root canal or tooth extraction becomes imminent. An early diagnosis, as we were able to provide for Sandra, can often prevent such drastic measures.
A number of things can cause cracked tooth syndrome. Repetitive chewing itself can cause very fine cracks, known as stress fractures that can develop into the syndrome. Bruxism is another cause that can crack the teeth. Trauma to the mouth often causes cracked tooth syndrome as well. Chewing on ice and hard candy is another cause for this condition.
Sandra was very fortunate. We had caught the condition quickly enough to avoid a root canal. We were able to cap the tooth with a cosmetic dental crown made to mimic her original tooth. The procedure was painless, and the resulting smile looked as good as the one she brought in. She has also reported since that day that all pain has left her mouth.
It is essential that anyone who thinks they have a cracked tooth call the Cosmetic Dentistry Center and schedule a dental appointment as soon as possible. Just because the symptoms are intermittent does not mean the condition should be ignored.
When Sandra came in for her appointment, we pull up her medical history on our computer. It revealed that she had been suffering from anxiety for the past few years. This caused her to grind her teeth at night without even knowing she was doing it. (In dental terminology, this grinding of teeth is known as Bruxism. We investigated further, taking a good, close look at the tooth in question by means of our intraoral camera. We found there was a very fine, but severely deep crack on the inside surface of the molar. In fact, this crack was so deep it was dangerously close to breaking into the nerve chamber. If were to happen, the way to avoid tooth extraction would have been to perform a root canal.
Cracked tooth syndrome is not the same thing as a fractured tooth. Fractures are more severe, and often clearly visible in the mirror even without dental instruments. Cracked tooth syndrome is much more subtle. It often takes very sophisticated dental instruments to detect the cracks in teeth, and since the syndrome causes such intermittent symptoms at times, many people assume that the problem is not that severe. This is not the case. If the crack in the tooth works its way all the way to the nerve cavity, then a root canal or tooth extraction becomes imminent. An early diagnosis, as we were able to provide for Sandra, can often prevent such drastic measures.
A number of things can cause cracked tooth syndrome. Repetitive chewing itself can cause very fine cracks, known as stress fractures that can develop into the syndrome. Bruxism is another cause that can crack the teeth. Trauma to the mouth often causes cracked tooth syndrome as well. Chewing on ice and hard candy is another cause for this condition.
Sandra was very fortunate. We had caught the condition quickly enough to avoid a root canal. We were able to cap the tooth with a cosmetic dental crown made to mimic her original tooth. The procedure was painless, and the resulting smile looked as good as the one she brought in. She has also reported since that day that all pain has left her mouth.
It is essential that anyone who thinks they have a cracked tooth call the Cosmetic Dentistry Center and schedule a dental appointment as soon as possible. Just because the symptoms are intermittent does not mean the condition should be ignored.
Labels: cosmetic dental crowns, cracked tooth syndrom, intermittent toothache, root canal, tooth fracture
posted by Dental Expert at
4:37 PM
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