Your teeth endure wear and tear routinely as you bite and chew throughout your day. While the teeth might suffer some erosion over time, you might also suffer an accident which can result in a more acute injury to your tooth. A fractured tooth can disrupt the appearance of your smile. But it could also leave you vulnerable to further dental damage.
Do not ignore a broken tooth. Call your dentist for an emergency dental evaluation if this incident occurs so that you can see the restoration of the tooth’s health, structure, and appearance. Read on to learn more about the signs that you might have a fractured tooth as well as how your dentist can treat this problem.
Symptoms of a Fractured Tooth
Sometimes, a crack or chip in a tooth is easy to see on the tooth’s surface. Without prompt intervention from your dentist, the breakage will deepen and worsen, and you might notice dark discoloration developing in the tooth.
Many people will feel pain if they fracture their teeth, but the degree of this pain may vary. Some people feel a constant toothache that becomes severe when you apply pressure to the tooth. A broken tooth might also make you feel sharp, intermittent pain as you perform oral functions.
Fractured teeth can also give you tooth sensitivity pain. This happens because the damage to the outer layer of the tooth, enamel, exposes underlying nerves which will transmit pain signals to your brain when stimulated.
Dental patients with broken teeth might also see swelling around the tooth, especially in the jaw. But in some cases, you may not experience any noticeable symptoms. This does not mean the injury is any less severe though.
Continue routine check-ups with your dentist to ensure you maintain a healthy dental structure. And contact your dentist if you suspect you suffered tooth breakage or another dental injury.
Treatment Options for Broken Teeth
Your dentist can help you restore your dental health after fracturing a tooth. But the treatment will rely on the location of the breakage. A crack in the cusp, the visible part of the tooth above the gumline, may require a dental crown to treat the injury.
The crown will cover the damaged enamel, protecting it from further harm while also allowing you to use the tooth to its full function again. But if the fracture in the tooth reaches the pulp, you may also need root canal therapy for full dental restoration.
More severe fractures that extend to the tooth root might mean you need a tooth extraction. A crown cannot cover this part of the tooth below the gumline. But your dentist will still need to treat the area to prevent an infection. In some cases, the dentist can remove only part of the tooth to avoid a complete extraction.
A dentist will use x-ray imaging to determine the type of treatment you require to fix your broken tooth. Do not hesitate to reach out to your dentist to find the ideal restorative dental solution for your smile.