Ice cube vs tooth, one of them is going to give way. But which one?
Dr Gordon Tam • December 23, 2019
It is a satisfying moment to bite on an ice cube from our drinks. Do you know what damage it may potentially cause?
What is a tooth crack?
Tooth crack is a crack found on a tooth structure. It may start from a craze line and the crack gets deeper and bigger. Depending on how deep is the tooth crack, if the crack is deep enough to hit the nerve chamber, you may possibly feel pain when biting on it or sensitive to temperature.
Why did my tooth crack?
Tooth crack can be due to several reasons. One of the most common reasons is you bite on something hard and caused the crack.
- Biting on something hard - ice cube, hard candy, bones, nuts
- Teeth grinding - accumulative pressure exerted to the teeth subconsciously when you are sleeping. The force can be great. In this case, tooth crack may no longer be just 1 tooth but possibly on multiple teeth.
- Trauma or injury to the mouth
- Wear and tear
Can a cracked tooth heal by itself?
Unfortunately, a cracked tooth cannot heal by itself. Our teeth are one of the rare body parts that will not heal or regenerate by itself. So as we always advise you, seek dental treatments early.
Complications of a cracked tooth
- Crack goes deeper from the tooth surface to the nerve, this causes sharp pain when you bite and tooth sensitivity to hot/cold.
- Food trap and bacteria get into the crack, it is impossible for you to clean through the crack
- Gum starts to swell and bleed when the food traps for some time. You will feel gum swollen and soreness
- Tooth decay begins to develop and aggravate the tooth crack issue
- Treatment becomes more complicated as the crack deepens
- Eventually leads to loss of tooth if no or delayed treatment
Symptoms of a cracked tooth
- Sharp pain when biting
- Sensitive to temperature
- Throbbing pain
These symptoms do not go away until the problem is addressed. In some cases, most of the time, the cracked tooth needs to have a crown to replace it. However, if the crack hits the nerve, a root canal treatment is required before the crown.
On some severe cases of a crack tooth that is beyond salvage, we will propose to remove it and replace it with a dental implant.
Treatment
- Crown
- If the crack progresses and causes injury to the nerve, it will require root canal treatment, then followed by a crown
- Severe crack tooth, unable to save, need to be extracted and replaced by an implant or a dental bridge
We often hear from patients who only see a dentist when they feel pain.
During every routine dental appointment, we will conduct a round of examinations to update you with your current dental condition. With the intraoral photographs taken on every visit and checks done under a dental microscope, we are able to keep track of those teeth that are under our watch list, to make comparisons and help you to resolve your dental issues and signs of tooth cracks as early as possible.
Don’t wait till you can’t tolerate the pain. If you have signs and symptoms, do seek consultation and treatment early.
For more information and consultation, please contact Smile Design Dental Practice at +65 6463 8588.
To serve you better, we are available by Appointment Only.
Please contact us to schedule for an appointment.
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