What Is a Cracked Tooth?
Cracked teeth demonstrate many types of symptoms, including pain when chewing, temperature sensitivities, or even the release of biting pressure. It is also common for pain to come and go, making it difficult to diagnose the cause of discomfort.
Chewing can cause movement of the cracked pieces of your tooth, and the pulp within the tooth becomes irritated. At the same time, when biting pressure is released, the crack can close quickly, resulting in sharp pain.
Cracks in teeth can be caused by anything from normal eating habits to grinding teeth. Fractures are classified into several different categories from minor superficial craze lines and usually only affect the appearance of the tooth, to split teeth or vertical root fractures, which would render a tooth non-salvageable. Patients who have the latter may experience pain while chewing, with or without temperature sensitivity. Sometimes patients may experience no symptoms at all. Our diagnostic technology will help determine if a cracked tooth can be saved based on the extent of the fracture.