Three Common Types Of Cracked Teeth And Their Treatments
When you go into the dentist office with a cracked tooth, one of the first things the dentist will do is categorize the type of crack. Some cracks on teeth are mostly cosmetic issues, while others can be a source of great discomfort or major infection. Here are three common types of tooth cracks, plus what your dentist may recommend in each case.
Craze Lines
A craze line is perhaps the most common and also the most innocuous type of tooth crack. These are areas where there are small cracks in the tooth that don't go all the way through. This is mostly a problem with appearance on the first few layers of the tooth enamel. There is probably not going to be any major medical need that emerges from this type of crack. But if you are concerned about the appearance of craze lines and have a moment to visit a cosmetic dentist, they can often reduce the appearance of craze lines. One solution is dental veneers; if you replace the front of the tooth with a dental veneer, no one will see the craze lines. And dental veneers can lend strength to a tooth at the same time, since the material is resistant to decay.
Cracked Teeth
A traditional tooth "crack" happens when a crack starts at the surface of the tooth and extends downwards through the tooth. If the crack is still above the gum line, the tooth may be able to be saved completely. a root canal will remove some of the inner tooth material, and then a crown can be placed over the tooth in order to keep it from cracking any further. Once the tooth crack gets so bad that it extends below the gum line, the tooth is probably not stable enough to be saved. In that case, many of your dentists will recommend extracting the entire tooth and replacing it with dental implants. That is a good solution if you don't want to have to deal with the tooth again in the near future the crack continues to spread.
Split Teeth
Sometimes, once a tooth crack becomes more severe, it will actually fracture over to one side of the tooth. You will have a split tooth, where the two sections are separate from one another. The dentist might be able to save the bigger portion of the tooth with a root canal and crown.
For more information, you will want to contact some professionals, such as those at Pine Lake Dental Group.
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