CRACKED TOOTH

Q: What makes a tooth crack?

A: The bite of an average adult exerts about 150 to 200 pounds per square inch. That is a lot of pressure that teeth are subjected to. Even though tooth enamel is an extremely hard material, if certain forces are aligned, you can indeed crack a tooth. And not all cracks are the same. A sudden, obvious crack will send a person immediately to the dentist. However, you can also develop a hairline crack that is not immediately apparent and leaves you only noticing sensitivity to temperature change and to biting pressure.
A hairline fracture on a cusp—one of the points on a tooth—is not uncommon. Cracks in teeth cannot heal like a bone can. Those cracks can, over time, get deeper, longer, and wider, causing a part of the tooth to break off. A crown is often made to protect a cracked tooth. If a crack is small enough that it has not compromised the pulp chamber, it probably is not necessary to perform a root canal, a procedure that involves cleaning out the pulp of the tooth and resealing it.
Any tooth can crack, given the right circumstances, and any tooth that already has a weakness is more susceptible. Add a propensity for chewing hard objects, like ice cubes, pencils, hard candy, or popcorn kernels, and you have the circumstances that can crack a tooth. Inform your dentist immediately of any change in sensation in your mouth. As with any dental problem, the sooner you take care of a cracked tooth, the better.
If you, your family, or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,
39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360.
www.drshooverandyanda.com