Upon the discovery of finding a crack in the tooth, it’s best to reach out to your dental specialist as soon as possible to treat the crack and to prevent it from growing and doing more damage. A crack can start out as something that’s small and harmless, but if left untreated, it can grow to be a problem not only to the tooth, but possibly your overall health as well.

What is a cracked tooth?

When a crack forms on the surface of the tooth and can sometimes grow into a larger problem. These cracks can start out small and unnoticeable, but over time, without treatment and exposure to hard times, the tooth can crack further. There are five different types of cracks that dentists have identified:

1. A cracked tooth is A crack that runs vertically through the tooth from the top of the biting surface, to sometimes even the gumline or the root of the tooth.
2. Craze lines, also known as hairline cracks, are small and usually do no immediate damage to the deepest parts of the tooth. These usually don’t hurt the client when formed.
3. A fractured cusp tends to happen when a crack starts to form around a dental filling that the dentist implanted. These usually don’t hurt the client as well when they form.
4. Split tooth is when the crack itself splits the tooth, sometimes even down to the gumline and root. The client may feel some pain here when this crack forms, due to the exposure of the root through the crack.
5. Vertical root fracture is when the crack forms below the gumline and runs up towards the top of the biting surface of the tooth. These cracks usually produce no pain unless there is already rotting or infection of the tooth pulp.

What causes a tooth to crack?

1. Biting into something hard, like candy, or an impact from something hard, like falling and hitting the floor or getting hit in the face.
2. Grinding of the teeth either during the day, but mostly at night while sleeping without a mouth guard.
3. Dental implants or fillings are put in incorrectly, or the body rejects them, causing cracks to form around them.
4. Older people tend to have their teeth crack more as they process fewer vitamins and minerals that keep the teeth strong.
5. Gum disease tends to weaken the bone supporting the teeth, causing cracks in the tooth as well.

Symptoms of a cracked tooth include:

1. A sharp pain may happen when biting down on the tooth, or pain that just won’t go away
2. Sensitivity to sweet foods or temperature-based foods once they touch the crack
3. Swelling of the gums and around the area of the cracked tooth may occur
4. Fever or swollen lymph nodes
5. A bad odor can come from the tooth if infected

When going to visit the dentist for the crack, they may observe it in a few ways to pinpoint the severity of the crack. After that, the dentist can find the proper procedure to fix the crack in the tooth before it’s too late.

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