Fractured Teeth Types and Treatments

Tooth fractures can be of different types and each type needs to be treated differently.

• Minor Cracks: These are also known as “craze lines” and are surface cracks affecting the white surface of your tooth, known as the enamel.These cracks do not require any treatment.
  However, a dentist might polish the effected area to smoothen the rough spots.
• Cracked Tooth: This is one such fracture type that affects the tooth on the whole, from the surface used for chewing to the nerve. Cracks can often be mended with typical dental filling materials.
  The tooth can also be prevented with the help of a crown and this also helps in preventing the worsening of tooth. If there’s a damage in the pulp (nerve, live tissues), a root canal treatment might be needed.
• Chips: Minor chips might not need treatment all the time. Your dentist might just repair the damage with the help of filing material in order to prevent worsening. If the chip is a tiny one, polishing would be enough to even out the area that has been chipped.
• Broken Cusps: These are breaks that affect the pointed cusps or the chewing surface of your teeth. They are unlikely to affect your pulp and might not cause any pain as well. Your dentist might feel the need to mend the damage if it disrupts chewing. A crown or onlay might however be required.
• Serious Breaks: These are deeper breaks that can expose and affect the nerve. This causes pain and tooth sensitivity. The broken part of a tooth usually bleeds. You will have to undergo a root canal treatment for removing the nerve that has been exposed and then crown it in order to bring the tooth back to its regular functions so that you can chew and eat properly.
• Split Tooth: In this case, the tooth splits vertically into separate parts. Some teeth, like the ones at the back (the molars), have quite a few roots. One of the roots can possibly be kept and then covered with a crown.
  Firstly, a root canal treatment becomes obvious. Secondly, the damaged roots will be removed by the dentist. Thirdly, the root will be covered by a crown and the tooth will be replaced. In case if the root is totally damaged and can in no ways be saved, removing the tooth is the ultimate choice.
• Vertical Breaks / Split Root: These cracks affect the root of tooth first and then expand upwards to reach the chewing surface. These are painful breaks and are caused by infection and inflammation. This calls for a tooth removal.
• Decay-Induces Break: This is a case of a broke tooth caused by cavities that weaken the tooth, inside out. A dentist will examine the cavity and will then recommend the best way of restoring the tooth. In certain cases, the tooth might have to be removed.
• Our teeth are extraordinarily strong, but they might chip, crack or even break quite often. This might happen in more than a few ways:
  • Biting something that is very hard.
  • Being hit or punched on the mouth or face.
  • Falling.
  • Extensive tooth decay.

When your teeth chip or break, it doesn’t hurt. You might not even perceive the damage caused. Minor fractures of the tooth might not cause any pain, but if a larger piece of tooth chips off, it can be very painful. This is because the underlying nerve is damaged and if this is exposed to cold or hot drinks or foods, air and saliva, it can cause extreme discomfort.
Pain caused by a cracked or a broken tooth can either be constant or it might be periodic. Some people feel this pain while chewing something as it exerts pressure on the teeth.

What can you do?

• Fractured or Cracked Tooth

A fractured or a crack tooth cannot be treated at home. You’ll have to seek your dentist’s help. A tooth might only hurt while you eat or there’s a change in the temperature of your mouth (after drinking something cold or hot). If you are experiencing a continuous pain, it can be a case of damaged blood vessels or nerves. This is an alarming sign.

• Broken Teeth

In case of broken teeth, visit your dentist immediately. Your dentist will be able to understand the cause of the breakage, whether it is caused due to cavities or your teeth’s nerves are in danger. Adults having a damaged nerve would need to go for a root canal, but in case of children, sometimes these damaged nerves can actually be saved with proper and immediate treatment.
Until you reach your dentist’s chamber:

• Save the broken pieces. Your dentist might try to cement all the pieces of tooth to be placed back together.
• Rinse the mouth very nicely with warm water. If you have saved tooth pieces, rinse those as well.
• Put gauze on the bleeding spot and leave it for 10 minutes or till the time the bleeding stops.
• Apply an ice cold pack on the lips and cheeks just over the tooth which is broken. This will lessen the pain and swelling.
• If you are unable to reach the dentist, cover the tooth with dental cement temporarily. This can be found in any drug store.
• Take pain relieves available over-the-counter.