As you read in our other blog post, the causes for tooth fractures are numerous. Sometimes your teeth give you subtle clues when they are getting fractures. You may depend on us to find them while they are small and manageable. Either way, waiting to see what happens with a cracked tooth is a big gamble.
Broken Fillings and Chipped Teeth
We often see small separations in the enamel near existing dental work, especially amalgam fillings. As it turns out, the metal in your tooth doesn’t change shape much, while the tooth itself is capable of expanding and contracting quite a bit. A split in the enamel indicates that the tooth and filling are starting to part ways. If left alone, you could lose your filling or part of the tooth that holds it in place.
Decay
If we can see a fracture with our eyes that means the enamel has a weak point. Bacteria are good at finding openings in the enamel and acids tend to sit in these areas as well. Wherever the enamel is compromised, the risk for decay increases substantially.
Root Canals
In most cases, pain in a tooth indicates that the nerve is dying. When a crack starts to split the tooth and causes a filling or part of the enamel to break off, you may be left with no other option than a root canal procedure before you can have the tooth repaired completely.
Extractions
We hate to say “we told you so” but too often clients will wait on treatment for cracked teeth because they don’t have pain. If a tooth splits in half, and a successful root canal can’t be performed, we can’t save it. If too much of the top part of the tooth breaks off, we can’t save it. This is an unfortunate situation that we hope to avoid.
We hope by reading about the possible consequences of leaving a fracture alone, you will be encouraged be proactive with treating them. The lack of pain isn’t an indication that you don’t need treatment and our hope is that we can find a solution before you have pain. By taking necessary steps, we can help you save time, money and keep your smile strong and beautiful for years to come.