Unlike a broken bone, the fracture in a cracked tooth will never completely heal. In fact, even after treatment, it is possible that a crack may continue to worsen and separate, resulting in the loss of the tooth. The treatment you receive for your cracked tooth is important because it will relieve pain and reduce the likelihood that the crack will worsen. Once treated, most cracked teeth continue to function and provide years of comfortable chewing. Talk to your dentist and/or
Endodontist about your particular diagnosis and treatment recommendations. They will advise you on how to keep your natural teeth and achieve optimum dental health
How do I know if my tooth is Cracked or Fractured?
Unfortunately, cracked and fractured teeth exhibit a variety of symptoms. If your tooth is cracked/fractured, you might feel occasional pain when chewing, particularly between bites as you release the pressure on your teeth. You might also feel pain when you eat or drink something hot or cold. Cracks and fractures are fairly difficult to diagnose because the pain comes and goes, and cracks/fractures only rarely show up on x-rays.
Not all cracked and fractured teeth hurt. It really depends on the severity of the crack and the pulps response to the irritants allowed into the tooth. Commonly it's not until they become symptomatic that we get involved. A crack/fracture can make the tooth sensitive due to movement of the fractured tooth pieces and/or leaking irritants into the pulp and even allow bacteria to come right in causing eventual infection of the tooth. Let's take a closer look at a normal healthy tooth.
If the crack/fracture is caught early enough, often times only a restoration that holds the tooth together will be needed. Once the pulp begins to degenerate and/or becomes infected, it must be treated endodontically if the tooth is going to be maintained. Like cracks in a windshield, cracks in teeth can often remain small or progress slowly over time. I believe that the sooner a crack or fracture is detected and appropriate treatment delivered, the better the chance of maintaining your tooth.