Some issues that can affect your teeth don’t seem serious, even though they are. Others are obviously a significant threat, yet patients may still hesitate to address them, allowing them to grow much more serious than you expect by the time they do seek treatment. Cracked/fractured teeth are a common type of the latter. Even if the damage to the tooth is visibly significant, patients might not seek treatment for the cracked tooth immediately. Today, we examine why that’s never a good idea, and why the damage to your tooth might pose a bigger threat to your oral health than you realize.
The nature of any damage to your tooth
The size and extent of the crack in your tooth are two important factors in how severe it is. However, it’s the nature of tooth damage itself that makes any crack in your tooth a significant threat. Your healthy teeth are incredibly strong and resilient, but what they make up for in strength, they lack in any ability to recover from trauma. Unlike other tissues in your body, your teeth don’t have the ability to heal themselves, which means even the smallest amount of damage to their structures will gradually grow worse. The longer you wait to treat any size crack in your tooth, the more likely it will have a chance to become severe.
Things that can make the crack worse
Because of the nature of your teeth and their inability to heal, time alone is all a crack needs to grow worse. However, you’ll still use your teeth to bite, chew, speak, and more, and these things will greatly contribute to the worsening damage. The pressure from biting and chewing your food can cause the crack to grow larger, and any existing conditions such as bruxism (constant teeth-grinding) will hasten it. To avoid more extensive damage to your tooth, the most effective thing you can do is to schedule a visit with your dentist to have the damage repaired and your tooth restored as soon as possible.
Treating it as soon possible is best
With the effect that time, pressure, and more can have on your cracked tooth, time is one of the most important factors in designing your treatment. Depending on how extensive the fracture is, your treatment can vary. For example, if you address a small crack while it’s still relatively minor, you may be able to restore your tooth with minimally invasive cosmetic treatment, such as tooth bonding or a custom porcelain veneer. More severe fractures could require a dental crown to fully restore the tooth, and if the fracture exposes the tooth’s pulp chamber, then root canal treatment might also be necessary to prevent intensive tooth infection.
Learn how we can fix your cracked tooth
If your tooth is cracked, it’s best to fix it as soon as possible, and we can help by customizing the most appropriate treatment for it. To learn more, schedule a visit by calling Syosset Dental in Syosset, NY, today at 516-433-2211 or 516-921-1678.
