Are you are experiencing pain when chewing? Or pain with the release of biting pressure? or pain when your tooth is exposed to temperature extremes? These are all symptoms of a cracked tooth. It’s very common for a cracked tooth to cause pain that comes and goes. You may be getting one of these symptoms or all of them. As every cracked tooth is different depending where it has cracked, how big the crack is or even if there are multiple cracks.
There are many reasons why teeth crack. It could be pressure from grinding your teeth. It could be chewing or biting hard foods, such as ice, nuts, or hard candy. It could even be a filling too large that it impacts the structural integrity of the tooth. People who experience hard falls, car accidents or sporting injuries have also been known to have cracks in teeth.
How can cracked teeth be prevented? Although it can’t be prevented all together there are precautions you can take to make sure you are doing your best to stop this from happening.
• Wear a mouth guard when playing sport
• Wear a night guard also known as a splint to bed if you know you have an issue with grinding in your sleep
• Be aware of any clenching or grinding during the day and try to stop
• Avoiding eating hard objects
It is important to get this checked out by us as soon as possible to help the treatment be more effective. If they are not treated, cracked teeth can lead to the nerve of the tooth dying and an abscess might grow. The tooth could need root canal treatment or even taking out. In severe cases the tooth can actually split in two. If this happens your dentist will not be able to save the tooth and it will need to be taken out.
If any of this sounds like you don’t hesitate to give our friendly team at Coomera Dental Centre a call. From there we can work out what is best for you!