A broken tooth can occur as a consequence of chewing on hard foods, grinding the teeth, or as you grow older.
- Excessive pressure from teeth grinding. Teeth grinding may happen unconsciously or consciously.
- Teeth fillings that are comparatively large and hinder the tooth’s natural function (chewing, biting, and talking).
- Chewing or biting down hard foods like ice, nuts, and candy.
- Accidental blows or trauma to the mouth, which may happen with an automobile accident, sporting injury, fall, or even a physical confrontation.
- Opening soda bottle caps with teeth.
- Fluctuations in temperature in the mouth for instance, from eating anything unusually hot and then trying to soothe the mouth with ice cubes or ice water
Types of broken teeth
A broken tooth can have various grades of cracks and fractures. A tooth is cracked when it has lines on its outer surface (enamel) but is not fractured; a fracture occurs when a tooth is broken or divided into multiple pieces.
There are various types of broken teeth, such as a cracked tooth, fractured cusp, split tooth, chipped tooth, vertical root fracture, etc.
Cracked tooth: A cracked tooth is a tooth that has an interrupted fracture that starts on the chewing surfaces of the teeth and runs vertically on the tooth from the crown to the root. Whenever the enamel cracks, the fractured region moves, causing pulp irritation. The pulp is eventually damaged to the point where teeth can no longer be repaired, resulting in intermittent discomfort. The discomfort might vary from sensitivity to extremes in temperature and chewing to a continual, persistent pain that keeps the patients up at night.
Cause of a cracked tooth: The most common cause of a broken tooth is excessive occlusal stresses, which are the stresses exerted on opposing teeth when the jaws are shut or tightened. The chewing surface of a cracked tooth is more centralized. Root pathosis is more likely to happen in the case of a severely cracked tooth.
Treatment of a cracked tooth: The severity and depth of the crack in the tooth determine the treatment. Treatable cracks and untreatable cracks are the two types of cracks. A crown is a typical treatment choice to fix the tooth and prevent the fracture from progressing. Early identification by a certified dental specialist is critical at this stage, as the crack might deepen over time, necessitating tooth extraction.
Chipped Tooth: A chipped tooth is a tooth where the outer layer of the teeth (enamel) has broken down or chipped.
Causes of chipped tooth: The most common cause of chipped tooth is excessive forces from biting down onto the ice or other crunchy foods. Teeth grinding is a major cause of chipped teeth. It can also happen due to decay, or external trauma.
Treatment of chipped tooth: A dental specialist will make a treatment plan for a chipped tooth and it varies and depends upon the depth of the chipped tooth. For example, if it is minor then probably it does not require any active treatment except for the polishing. If the chip is moderate or severe then it may require active treatment such as filling, capping, or root canal.
Whatever the situation, it is essential to choose the professional and best dentist in the town for the treatment of cracked and chipped teeth. You can book an appointment with us on our given contact details if you have any queries or concerns.