|
|
 |
Why causes cracked tooth syndrome?
Teeth can crack for many reasons. They take a lot of pressure from biting and chewing each and every day. As they age, they lose much of their original strength. They can also be weakened by clenching and grinding.
Your teeth can also become weaker when they lose structure. This can happen with large fillings or from root canals. If you chew on ice, candy, popcorn kernels, or foreign objects, you can crack your teeth.
If you are in an accident or suffer an injury, this can crack your teeth too.
Does this occur in one place more than another?
Cracked tooth syndrome is more common in molars, usually lower molars, which take the brunt of chewing pressure. Are some of us more prone to this condition than others?
Yes. If you have Bruxism, you are much more susceptible to cracked tooth syndrome. Also, if you have one cracked tooth, you probably have more than one. If you have been in an accident involving a blow to the mouth, you are vulnerable to your teeth cracking in the future.
Will I know right away if I crack a tooth?
No. You may have cracked tooth syndrome for several months and not have consistent symptoms.
What are the symptoms of cracked tooth syndrome?
One side of your mouth becomes uncomfortable to chew on.
Your teeth are sensitive to hot and cold.
You feel a sharp pain when you bite down.
Your pain is intermittent.
This intermittent pain is caused when the tooth flexes and microscopically stimulates the nerve in the tooth. Hairline cracks open and close. This is enough to put pressure on the tubules that run down the nerve. This, in turn, causes fluid to push and pull on the tooth’s nerve and cause pain. The nerve also becomes exposed to bacteria that are toxic, and this can make it inflamed enough to become very sensitive and for infection to spread to the nerve and bone tissue beneath the root.
If this happens, you are looking at a possible abscess. Part of the tooth can break off at this point, and a root canal will be needed to save it, or extraction will be the only other option.
How do you diagnose cracked tooth syndrome?
We run a series of tests on your mouth and teeth. Because many of these fractures are invisible to the naked eye, our examination will often include x-rays. Sometimes, though, even x-rays do not reveal a crack. We also have to analyze your bite to find small fractures.
After a thorough examination, and after we have located the fractures in your teeth, we then discuss treatment options with you. Treatment will depend on the location and direction of the crack. It also depends on how badly it has damaged your tooth.
If we find that the crack only affects your tooth enamel, we may just remove the affected portion and restore the tooth with a cosmetic dental onlay to stabilize it. Or, we may crown the tooth to protect it against future possible damage.
If we find, however, that the crack affects the underlying dentin or pulp layers of your tooth, we perform a root canal before placing a crown over the tooth. Labels: cracked teeth, cracked tooth syndrom, craze lines
My son had one of his front permanent teeth knocked out in baseball practice.
If at all possible, get to the office of a Houston dentist within one hour of the accident. If you wait longer than one hour, the chances of the tooth being successfully re-implanted are slim. If you have time before you leave the house, have him rinse his mouth in cool water. Do not wipe it or scrub it.
While calling the dental emergency line, place the tooth in a glass of water, or even better, milk if you have any. While on the way to the office of your Houston dentist, bring it wrapped it in a clean, damp cloth.
Please be aware that teeth like this that have been knocked out have to be treated with a root canal. However, the tooth itself will survive for years if it is re-implanted one hour after the injury.
My daughter slammed her front baby tooth on the floor and now it's dark. Is it dead?
It may very well be, but we can’t be sure until you bring her in. The dark color is an indicator that the blow has broken a blood vessel at the tip of the tooth root. However, do not despair or assume the worst just yet. Baby teeth are very tough, and they can withstand impacts that almost always kill adult teeth.
Nevertheless, consider this a true dental emergency and get your daughter to a Houston dentist ASAP for an examination.
How long will it take to fix my son’s tooth that he chipped?
If you are can find the fragment, bring it with you to the office. There are times when a cosmetic dentist can bond the fragment back onto the tooth. Even without the fragment, though, a skilled cosmetic dentist can restore the natural look and shape of the tooth in less than one hour.
What should I do if my child has a toothache?
Call your Houston dentist immediately. It is a good idea to rinse your child’s mouth with lukewarm water and applying cloth-wrapped ice to the face. We do not recommend that you use any warm water or apply any form of heat.
NEVER PUT AN ASPIRIN ON THE TOOTH OR GUMS. ASPIRIN IS ACIDIC AND CAN BURN THE SKIN. ONLY SWALLOW ASPIRING, NEVER USE IT FOR TOPICAL CARE.
How do I keep dental emergencies from happening in the first place?
For toddlers, child proof the house. Pad sharp corners, handles on furniture, and door knobs that stick out. Lock the doors to the rooms with this furniture. Make sure you secure your child in his or her safety seat when you drive, and always double check the strap on the stroller when you put your child in it.
Mouthguards will often prevent dental emergencies in older children. Most dental injuries happen at or near the home, not on the sports court or athletic court, so have your child wear his or her mouthguard even when playing at home.Labels: cracked tooth syndrom, dental emergency service, mouthguard
Ask the Dental ExpertsOur philosophy is to help our patients achieve and maintain exceptional dental health. We work hard to make sure that our level of care is deserving of our patients’ respect and confidence. Our tradition of preventive dentistry is the basis for all service and care in our practice. We welcome all questions and comments regarding dentistry in the hope that we increase your dental "IQ" and help you make better dental health decisions. Q: What do you do when a tooth cracks?
A: Some minor craze lines seen in teeth need no attention at all. Other teeth have symptomatic cracks that cause sensitivity or pain and need immediate attention. Since most cracks or fractures do not show up on radiographs (x-rays), these problems can be difficult to figure out.
· Craze lines are tiny cracks that are very superficial and often difficult for a person to see. They occur primarily in the outer enamel layer of the teeth. They are most common in adult teeth, and they need no treatment. They are simply the result of “mileage – wear and tear” on the teeth. Also, they are most common on the anterior teeth.
· Asymptomatic cracks are ones that cause no pain and are therefore difficult to evaluate. Many times it is important to reinforce these teeth early, BEFORE they become a problem.
· Symptomatic cracks cause pain that can vary from minor sensitivity to a throbbing toothache.
Unfotunately, most people do not seek help for cracked teeth until they become painful. A crack will eventually make a tooth sensitive due to movement of the fractured edges and leakage into the pulp. The treatment of such a tooth will vary based on the case. Sometimes cracked teeth can be remedied with simple dental bonding procedures. More severe cases may require a porcelain crown. If tooth decay has ensued, a root canal may need to be performed first to save what is left of the tooth prior to being crowned.If a crack is so seriously fractured that it has to be extracted, the Cosmetic Dentistry Center can place a dental implant in its place.
Does your tooth give a “zing” when you bite? Do you clench your teeth so hard that there are visible cracks in your back teeth? Are your teeth very sensitive to hot or cold? If so, don’t waste any time – problems develop quickly. Have it checked out by your dentist as soon as possible.Labels: asymptomatic cracks, cracked tooth syndrom, craze lines, symptomatic cracks
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.Labels: cosmetic dental crowns, cracked tooth syndrom, intermittent toothache, root canal, tooth fracture
|
