Cracked teeth can lead to the development of serious dental problems, including injury and infection in the pulp of your teeth. Drs. Allen Rosenthal and Agnes Herceg provide treatments for cracked teeth at Advanced Endodontics & Microsurgery of Stamford, PC to help restore your teeth and gums to full health and function. We welcome you to contact us at 203-324-9239 to make your appointment with our endodontists and learn more about treatments for cracked teeth.
Cracked teeth demonstrate many symptoms, including pain when chewing, sensitivity to temperature, and intermittent pain. The motion of chewing can cause the cracked pieces of your tooth to shift, irritating the pulp within the tooth and eventually damaging it to the point where your tooth will consistently hurt, even when you are not chewing. This can lead to infection of the pulp tissue, which can spread to the bone and gum surrounding the cracked tooth.
There are many different types of cracked teeth. Some of these types include:
Craze Lines – These are tiny cracks that only affect the outer enamel of the teeth. Craze lines are more common in adults and are usually only superficial in nature.
Fractured Cusps – This type of crack occurs when the cusps of the teeth become weakened. The cusp may break off on its own or be removed by a dentist. Fractured cusps rarely damage the pulp and can usually be restored with a dental crown.
Cracked Tooth – This type of crack extends from the chewing surface of your tooth vertically down to the root. It may extend below the gum line and further into the root. With this type of crack, damage to the tooth pulp is common place, and root canal treatment is usually necessary to prevent the loss of the tooth.
Split Tooth – A split tooth is almost always the result of an untreated cracked tooth. This type of crack is easily identified by the distinct segments of cracking in the tooth. Split teeth cannot be saved intact. Whether or not any of the tooth can be saved will be determined by the severity of the damage.
Vertical Root Fracture – A vertical root fracture begins at the tooth roots and extends toward the chewing surface of the tooth. This type of crack has very few obvious symptoms and may go unnoticed for some time. Occasionally endodontic surgery can save a portion of the tooth, but extraction is usually the most effective treatment.
To learn more about cracked teeth and to schedule your consultation with our endodontists, please call our office today!
203-324-9239
