Look at most teeth very close and you will notice there are lots of tiny lines and defects. Although the smaller craze lines are harmless, a fracture can be a big problem. There are several reasons why cracks develop in your teeth.
Nervous Habits
Pent up energy can cause you to do things that aren’t in your teeth’s best interest. When you develop nervous habits like chewing on candy, pencils or biting your fingernails, your chances of splitting a tooth increase quite a bit.
Grinding and Clenching
The day-to-day stress of life can cause you to involuntarily grit your teeth together. The muscles in your cheeks are capable of a 60 to 120 per square inch of force! Many of us are unaware that we are even grinding our teeth unless we start to notice other side effects. Headaches, muscle soreness and pain in the ear area are clues that you may have a problem. When these symptoms are worst first thing in the morning, chances are you have been grinding your teeth in your sleep.
Crooked or Missing Teeth
When your teeth are misaligned or missing altogether, the teeth surrounding them have to work harder than they are meant to. The unusual pressure eventually causes weak points in the teeth to wear down, split or break off.
When you bite down and feel a sudden, sharp pain, there’s no ignoring that you have a cracked tooth. Because we would rather prevent you from having a painful tooth, one of the things we look for during your dental visit is a fracture. We help determine what can wait and what needs treatment right away. We also make custom night guards to prevent cracks, broken fillings, headaches and teeth grinding.