Although your teeth are the hardest bone in your body, they are also quite vulnerable. You can accidentally crack a tooth by biting on a hard object like ice, grinding your teeth, or taking a blow to your jaw. Your teeth can also fracture if they have very little tooth structure due to large fillings, deep decay, or multiple restorations.
Depending on the cause of your cracked tooth, it may require treatment by an emergency dentist. The dentist can examine your tooth and discuss your options on how to fix a cracked tooth.
How to Fix a Cracked Tooth: Signs of a Fractured Tooth
A minor chip in your tooth may only be a cosmetic issue, but a serious tooth fracture, especially if it reaches below the gumline, may be a dental emergency and require immediate treatment.
If your cracked tooth isn’t the result of trauma, you may be unaware it is fractured. The following signs may indicate a cracked tooth that a dentist needs to evaluate and treat:
- Increased sensitivity when biting into hot food or drinking cold liquids. Sweet, sour, and acidic foods can also cause tooth sensitivity in a fractured tooth.
- Tooth pain when biting or chewing.
- No visible signs, but you experience intermittent pain.
- A small bump in the gumline or soft tissue around the affected tooth.
How to Fix a Cracked Tooth: Common Treatments
Once the emergency dentist has assessed your teeth, they can recommend how to fix a cracked tooth that is bothering you.
- No treatment: if the issue is cosmetic and only affects the surface of your tooth enamel, your dentist may simply polish the tooth to improve its appearance.
- Dental bonding or filling: if your tooth can be seen when you smile, your dentist will use tooth-coloured composite resin bonding material to repair the crack. For teeth further back in your mouth, they will use a filling material to restore the tooth.
- Dental veneer: if the tooth’s front surface is cracked, your dentist will remove the damaged enamel and bond a thin shell of tooth-coloured porcelain or composite resin to the front of your tooth to rehabilitate its appearance.
- Dental crown: for a relatively deep crack or broken tooth, your dentist will fit you with a tooth-shaped cap that protects the tooth and reinstates its strength and function.
- Root canal treatment: if the crack has reached below the gumline and infected your dental pulp, this is a dental emergency that requires root canal therapy. This procedure removes the damaged tissue and saves the tooth from extraction. The root canal is topped off with a dental crown to protect the remaining tooth structure.
- Tooth extraction: your dentist will remove the affected tooth in severe cases of a broken tooth that cracks the tooth’s root. Once the tooth is removed, your dentist will discuss your tooth replacement options, such as a dental implant or dental bridge.
Contact Us If You Have a Dental Emergency
If you are looking for an emergency dentist in South East Melbourne, our dental team can give you the personalised service you deserve in a state-of-the-art facility. For comprehensive and exceptional dental care, book your appointment or call us on 03 9007 2532 today.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
Reference
What to know about gum boils
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326135
Cracked Tooth
https://www.healthline.com/health/cracked-tooth