Your teeth can get fissures or cracks for a lot of reasons. Aging, tooth grinding, and other factors can cause your teeth to crack. As a result, you’ll experience the symptoms of a cracked tooth without even realizing what’s wrong with your teeth.
But how to know if there are cracks in your teeth? Certain signs can help you know if your tooth is fractured or not. Carry on reading to find out.
What are Cracked Tooth Symptoms?
Your dentist can determine where the crack is and treat it accordingly. The size of the crack can vary; it could be a minor fissure or a huge fracture. Sometimes, though, a crack in your tooth could be difficult to identify. Some cracks don’t even appear on dental X-rays. You can get familiar with the cracked tooth symptoms to know if you have a broken tooth:
- You Have Tooth Pain When You Bite Down or Chew
Does your tooth have a sharp pain whenever you bite down or chew? It could be a major indicator of a fractured tooth. Nonetheless, your tooth may not hurt every time you bite down. - You Don’t Have Constant Tooth Pain
Cracked tooth pain is not constant, unlike cavity or dental abscess toothache. Hence, your tooth will not constantly hurt if you have fractured your tooth.
In short, cracked tooth pain is sporadic instead of chronic. - You’re Experiencing Increased Tooth Sensitivity
A fractured tooth will become sensitive to outside triggers. These include food or beverages that are cold, hot, sweet, sour, sticky, etc. Therefore, if you experience sensitivity, it may be one of the cracked tooth symptoms. - You Have a Tooth infection
Yes, cracks in teeth can lead to an infection. The area of your gum line near the fracture can get infected. Thus, you may notice a small bump on your gum by the cracked tooth.
Infections should be addressed immediately, as they can lead to severe consequences. Don’t hesitate to contact your dentist when you notice the symptoms of a tooth infection. - There Are No Visible Signs
Usually, other dental problems come with visible signs. For instance, signs of a cavity are pretty obvious. So if you have pain but no visible symptoms, you might have a cracked tooth.
What Causes a Cracked Tooth?
You can have cracks in your teeth for a number of reasons. They include:
- Biting down on ice, nuts, or other hard foods
- Jaw clenching
- Teeth grinding
- Wear and tear or large fillings that lead to loss of tooth structure
- Exposing the teeth to extreme temperatures, like eating something hot and drinking ice-cold water immediately.
- Brittle teeth after a root canal procedure.
How to Deal with Cracked Tooth Symptoms?
If you notice cracked tooth symptoms, consult your dentist. They can treat it most suitably. Tiny cracks in teeth are common and usually don’t require treatment.
Your dentist might recommend a dental crown for cracks that affect the cusp of your teeth. Other than this, a root canal procedure might be the solution to a cracked tooth, depending on your case.
Sometimes the crack could be so severe that the tooth needs to be removed. In that case, tooth replacement options like dental implants or a bridge can help.
What to do?
Do you have cracked tooth symptoms? Pick up your phone and contact a reputable dentist like our Hermosa Dental team. Don’t neglect any unusual symptoms you’re experiencing. You can reach us at
● E. Little York: (713) 695-3400
● Highway 6: (832) 427-1797
● Porter: (281) 747-7004
● Tomball: (832) 328-5651