Cracked teeth can cause generic symptoms like tooth pain and sensitivity, but if you are experiencing pain whenever you chew or put pressure on your tooth, a crack may be the cause.
What Is a Cracked Tooth?
A cracked tooth is a tooth with a dental fracture. Cracked teeth can irritate your dental pulp and cause infection if the crack isn’t treated. While you chew, the cracked pieces of your tooth can move and close. Infection can travel through the crack and into your dental pulp. From the cracked tooth, infection can spread to your surrounding teeth and gum tissue.
Types of Cracks
Despite the simple definition of a cracked tooth, there are actually multiple types of dental cracks that each come with their own set of concerns:
Superficial | Most cracks are too tiny to affect anything except the outer enamel. In these instances, the crack isn’t a real threat to your health, and it can be repaired with cosmetic dentistry.
Fractured Cusps | Fractured cusps are more painful than superficial cracks, but rarely affect the tooth pulp. They can often be repaired by removing the cusp and replacing it with a dental crown.
Cracked Teeth | The teeth that our endodontic team treats are teeth that have cracks that can extend from the crown to the root of the tooth. These cracks affect the tooth pulp and can cause serious damage if left untreated. If you leave a cracked tooth untreated for too long, it can become a split tooth.
Split Teeth | Split teeth are teeth that have a crack that extends beyond the surface area of the tooth into the tooth root. When a tooth has split, it is impossible to save and will have to be extracted.
Vertical Root Fractures | Teeth with vertical root fractures have a crack that starts in the tooth root and travels upwards toward the surface. Because vertical root fractures are below the tooth surface, they can go undetected for a long time. Generally, when a vertical root fracture is discovered, endodontic therapy will have to be performed and the tooth will have to be extracted.
Our skilled endodontists know what it takes to fix these types of cracks. We’ll help find the treatment that is right for you.
Receive Cracked Tooth Therapy From Red Mountain Endodontics
At Red Mountain Endodontics, we can treat your cracked teeth and help you avoid tooth loss or serious health issues. By treating the problem early, we can preserve your tooth root and help you enjoy a lasting, beautiful smile.
Call us today to set up an appointment.