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CRACKED TOOTH SYNDROME

Cracked tooth syndrome may be a cause of why some teeth are having to be extracted. This generation of humans on average are living longer than previous generation. So our teeth may be needing to work longer for us than they have in past generations.

Often the common signs and symptoms of Cracked Tooth Syndrome are:

1. Pain on chewing or when you release the biting pressure (this is because the crack is opening and closing). The chewing pain may be intermittent or only occur when it is hard or grainy foods that land on the weakened spot. Often the pain is very short, sharp and specific. Some people "learn" how to avoid eating on the cracked tooth and feel as though the problem as gone away. The problem can then get worse.

2. Sensitivity to hot, cold foods or sweet things

3. Can slowly progress to a constant toothache (this usually means that the nerve of the tooth is now damaged and is more likely to need root canal treatment).

Treatment of Cracked Tooth Syndrome


This diagram shows a heavily restored amalgam filled tooth that may lose a considerable amount of its strength. Over time the tooth could fracture.

Before the tooth fractures it may become sensitive to chewing hard, hot, cold or sweet foods.

A crown is a possible long term solution to hold the cracks together or restore the broken tooth. The tooth may now be almost as strong as a healthy tooth.

Two common causes of cracked teeth are;

1) Large Fillings - teeth with large fillings in them are often mechanically weaker, as there is less tooth structure present to hold the tooth together. If the filling in the tooth involves more than one third of the tooth then the strength of the tooth may be much less compared to a healthy intact tooth. Every time you eat, grind or clench the tooth is likely to flex slightly. After doing this many thousands of times a fracture or hair line crack can propagate just like a crack in a car's windscreen. The silver amalgam fillings also contain mercury that may expand and contract with temperature changes at a greater rate than the remaining tooth structure. The silver amalgam filling may also slowly corrode and expand. The mercury expansion in the silver amalgam filling could further weaken the tooth.

2) Habits - this involves people who clench or grind their teeth or chew on objects such as hard sweets, nuts or ice. The tooth may not be strong enough for this constant trauma. Up to 80% of people may clench without any realisation while sleeping. These clenching or grinding forces could be up to ten times stronger than when eating food.

Treatment

A visit to your dentist as soon as possible is important to increase the chances of saving the tooth or may help prevent more extensive and expensive treatment.

A simple crack is where the nerve of the tooth is not involved. These teeth often require a crown. A filling may not be able to properly hold the crack together.

The crown acts like the metal rings that hold a barrel together. very large internal fillings may destabilise teeth and, over time, biting forces of the opposing teeth could cause cracks, breakage, inflamed roots or pain. Crowns may be placed onto teeth instead of large filling to help avoid additional problem. Alternatively it may be possible to place a restoration made of resin, ceramic or gold over the biting surfaces of the tooth (cusps) to help reduce the possibilty of crack propagation.

In rare cases the crack may involve the nerve (complex crack) and the tooth could still remain or become problematic even after the crown is placed. This could be due to bacteria that cannot be removed from the crack and it could enter the nerve. In these cases root canal may still be done through the crown and a white filling can often be placed in the middle of the crown.

The crown often will continue to hold the tooth together and the tooth could last a lifetime with good preventative care. In rare cases the crack can cause the tooth root to split below the crown. In these rare cases the tooth may have to be removed (extraction).

Your Enhance Dental dentist will advise you of the appropriate treatment for your tooth.

  
 


 

 
Tooth Whitening, Teeth Whitening, Bleaching, Whitening Enhance Dental Melbourne Cosmetic Dentistry, Porcelain Veneers, Teeth Implants, Crown and Bridge, Dental Implant Porcelain Veneers

Dentist, Dental, Cosmetic Dentist

'The Jewel' Level 2, Suite 219, 566 St Kilda Road , Melbourne, Australia 3004
Phone: (03) 9533-8488 Fax: (03) 9533-8066 help@enhancedental.com ABN 6007214093