Your teeth are a big part of your overall health. Teeth may cause many problems, which is why we should properly care for them. One of the most common tooth problems is tooth decay. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 26 percent of all adults in the US have untreated tooth decay. Also, a big amount of stress caused by hard foods or other things may affect and damage your teeth. A cracked tooth is a result of damage, most likely caused by hard foods, aging, and other factors. This is the most common problem of tooth loss. There are several types of tooth cracks and in this article, we want to introduce you to how to recognize them.
1. Craze lines
Craze lines are not dangerous and many adult people have them. It is a hairline fracture on the enamel, which is painless and they do not require any treatment. In most cases, this fracture does not reach the gums, but if it happens, then you need to contact a top-rated dentist. Lots of things may cause these lines, but the most common are teeth grinding, nail-biting, and ice chewing. It is hard to detect if a craze line reaches the gums, so if it is needed your dentist will do a visual examination and different tests. It is impossible to hide these lines entirely, so if you wish, you can get dental veneers.
2. Fractured cusps
Fractured cusps occur when a tooth is weak and breaks off on its own. Teeth become weak due to excessive force or tooth decay. People often eat ice, bite and eat very hard food, or grind their teeth, and all these things may make your teeth much weaker. In most cases, this type of fracture happens around dental fillings and does not reach the pulp, so it should not cause any pain for you. The pulp contains blood vessels and nerves which are sensitive. A fractured cusp is not very dangerous but may cause temperature sensitivity, pain while chewing, and could cause a sharp edge on the tooth. In some cases, a fractured cusp can reach the pulp of a tooth, in that situation people may need a root canal, but in general, people may only require a new filling or a dental crown.
3. Cracked teeth
It is a vertical tooth crack that goes towards the root. As this is a significant crack, the pulp begins to irritate. It will cause severe pain because the pulp will be damaged enough and the tooth will be non-recoverable. Different people have different types of pain, for example, someone says that they have severe pain that does not give them sleep, other people say that they have pain while chewing and extreme temperatures. If people have a cracked tooth, it is possible to save the tooth, only if a person has a crack that does not reach a gum. If you have noticed the tooth crack, do not waste time and visit a dentist, it may save your natural tooth. A dentist will prescribe you a personal treatment plan.
4. Split teeth
Split teeth are untreated tooth cracks. As the cracked tooth was not treated, it was a long-term deep crack, and that tooth can split at any time. It is a result of bad habits such as ice eating, biting and eating very hard food, and grinding teeth. There are only two possible options: the tooth can be saved or it needs to be extracted. As a tooth splits into two parts, it is hard to save the tooth, but in some cases it is possible, and dentists may perform a root canal along with a dental crown procedure.
5. Vertical root fractures
A vertical root fracture is a fracture that goes from the root to the chewing part of a tooth. This type of fracture has minimal symptoms that can be inconspicuous, which causes them to go untreated for a long period. In most cases, people who have vertical root fractures earlier at some point in their life had a root canal. Treatment, in general, is an extraction of the tooth, but sometimes your dentist can perform a removal of the fractured root.
The bottom line
All in all, if you have a cracked tooth, it is a very significant reason to visit a dental specialist. They will help to detect the source of the problem and solve it.
