The tooth was cracked! What should I do?

Cracked teeth refer to the non-physiological small cracks on the surface of the crown due to the abnormal occlusal force, which are not easy to be found, but the cracks will cause allergic symptoms when they reach the dentin. Once they are close to or reach the pulp cavity, Typical symptoms of pulpitis will be produced.

1. Causes of Cracked Teeth

We all know that teeth are the hardest tissue in the human body, and we always feel that teeth are very strong and durable. What are the causes of cracked teeth?

internal cause

Cracks tend to occur in the large teeth at the back, and mostly overlap with the ravines on the tooth surface. These parts are the "weak" among the teeth, and they are also the parts where the stress is concentrated when the teeth are subjected to normal occlusal force.

The teeth have high and steep cusps due to long-term wear and tear, and the teeth are prone to splitting due to the horizontal component force.

external factors

When biting into a hard object, the teeth will bear a occlusal force much greater than the normal value; the teeth will be bumped by trauma; eating ice cream while eating hot pot is very refreshing, but as everyone knows, this may also cause cracked teeth!

Due to the different thermal expansion coefficients between the outer layer and the inner layer of the tooth, cracks may appear under the action of long-term cold and hot temperature cycles (0~50°C).

At the beginning, there are no obvious symptoms for superficial cracks; when the cracks progress to the deep part of the tooth, there will be cold and hot stimulation pain, the most obvious is a fixed point sharp pain or long-term dull pain when chewing, and sometimes acute pulp pain may also occur. inflammation symptoms.

Don’t underestimate cracked teeth, which can develop into caries, pulpitis, periapical periodontitis, and eventually fracture, so once the above symptoms appear, don’t hesitate to seek medical treatment in time.

2. Treatment of cracked teeth

What should I do if the tooth is cracked? Professional matters are naturally left to professional doctors:

1

Superficial cracks (inside the enamel)

In this case, you only need to grind off the high and steep cusps, and then stick them with dental glue (enamel bonding agent).

2

Deeper cracks (inside dentin)

First, you need to grind the molar surface, drill a hole along the hidden crack line, and then fill it with filling material.

3

Deeper cracks (near or reaching the pulp chamber)

This can only be done with root canal treatment + dentures to ensure the firmness of the teeth.

3. Precautions for cracked teeth

Finally, and most importantly, after treating the patient, we must inform the precautions to prevent and prevent the recurrence of cracked teeth:

01

Improve the habit of chewing on one side;

02

Do not chew on hard objects such as wine bottle caps with your teeth;

03

Do not bite hard when eating hard food;

04

Go to the hospital or clinic regularly to check and clean your teeth;

0 5

The teeth are severely worn, especially those who have the habit of grinding their teeth at night, should ask a doctor to make bite pads and wear them while sleeping to avoid excessive bite force on the teeth;

06

Take appropriate protection when participating in sports to minimize the damage caused by accidents.