People often get terrified when a tooth cracks. This is understandable when you consider how quickly a crack in a tooth could lead to the entire tooth becoming fractured. However, it is never a good thing to panic. If one of your teeth cracks, you should contact a dentist and schedule an appointment at your earliest possible opportunity to come in.
In most cases, people do not immediately know they have a cracked tooth. It is not until symptoms appear that cracks in teeth become noticeable. One of the first symptoms is a sharp pain when you bite down on food. Some patients tell their dentist that this feels like a "zing" when they bite.
Sensitivity to hot and cold drinks or even foods can also be a sure giveaway that you may have a crack in one of your tooth.
In severe cases, some people even see the crack when they bite down and look at their teeth in the mirror. The pressure of the bite is enough to cause the cracked tooth enamel to open just enough for the fracture to become visible.
If you have experienced one or more of the following symptoms, it is time to see your Houston dentist as soon as you can.
Unfortunately, people often tend to put things off. They wait until the last minute to call the dentist, or they think that maybe the pain is just a passing oddity that will eventually work itself out.
When the tooth becomes too painful to ignore any longer, the person will eventually contact a Houston dentist to seek professional care-often very reluctantly. People always assume the worst about a crack in their teeth.
We do not want anyone to assume the worst case scenario, but we do want people to understand the effects that untreated fractures can have on dental health.
For one thing, a crack can make a tooth sensitive because of the movement of the fractured edges. As they separate, they allow food, saliva, and liquid from drinks to lead directly into the pulp. Treating the tooth will vary based upon the type of crack and its severity.
Craze lines are tiny, superficial cracks in the tooth enamel. They are very common in adults, often naturally occurring as a result of age. These are often seen on the anterior teeth-something equivalent to miles on a car.
Craze lines require no treatment. However, you will need a Houston dentist to determine if you have craze lines or something more serious.
Symptomatic cracks cause pain that can vary from minor sensitivity to a throbbing toothache. You need to get to a dental chair as soon as you can if you have any of these symptoms.
There are also asymptomatic cracks that do not hurt, and they can only be discovered when you see a dentist. This is why regular checkups are so important.
Treatments range from a bonded filling or a crown to reinforce the tooth to the drastic measure of a root canal treatment to save a tooth whose nerve has been damage. Occasionally, a tooth that has a fracture in it that cannot be fixed at all and must be extracted and replaced with a dental implant.
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