Treatment and Prevention of Cracked Tooth

  TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF CRACKED TOOTH

  The treatment of a cracked tooth is depending on the severity of the crack. A small crack on a tooth is easily treated with a simple filing either with a tooth coloured filling material or amalgam filling (a silver filling). When your dentist suspected that there is a deeper crack in your tooth, a metal band is sometimes placed around the tooth to keep the tooth together, when the pain settles, a porcelain or gold filling material or even a crown is placed to protect the tooth from fracturing further. A crack that reached the nerve of a tooth will require a root canal treatment prior to the placement of a crown. A root canal treatment is a sequence of treatment of the nerve of a tooth to remove any infection of the tooth concerned. If the crack propagated vertically, the tooth may need to be extracted and replaced with an artificial tooth.

  While some of the cracked tooth cannot be prevented as it happens when you least expect them. However, you can play a part in reducing the risk of having a crack tooth by avoiding biting on hard objects that can fracture your teeth such as bones, pencil and ice. In addition to that, if you have grinding habit, do seek advice from your dentist for fabrication of nightguards to protect your teeth.

  Some of the teeth are more susceptible to crack as its strength is compromised from previous decays and filling, hence it is important to preserve the strength of your teeth by preventing dental decays. Decayed and filled teeth are weaker than a sound tooth.

Written by : Dr Debbie Hong