Cracked Teeth
Endodontists specialize in diagnosing and treating cracked teeth. A cracked tooth means a crack extends from the chewing surface of your tooth vertically toward the root. The tooth is not yet separated into pieces. Untreated, the crack will gradually spread further down the tooth. Early diagnosis is important to save the tooth. Your dentist and endodontist will recommend a crown to protect the crack from spreading further down the root. This stops the spread in many, but not all cases. If the crack has extended into the pulp, causing the pulp to become unhealthy, the tooth will need to be treated with a root canal in addition to the crown.
A crack or fracture in a tooth can be caused by an injury to the tooth, but most often, it is the result of normal wear and tear on the tooth over time. If your tooth is cracked, you can experience a variety of symptoms ranging from erratic pain when you chew your food to sudden pain when your tooth is exposed to very hot or cold temperatures. In many cases, the pain may come and go and your dentist may have difficulty locating the tooth causing the discomfort. If you experience these symptoms or suspect a cracked tooth, it is best to see an endodontist as soon as possible.
The treatment varies based on the type, location, and extent of the crack. The sooner your tooth is treated, the better the outcome. Once treated, most cracked teeth continue to function as they should, for many years. A cracked tooth may remain painful to biting and chewing certain foods, but you should be able to eat most foods comfortably. We will very often use a three-dimensional image (CBCT) in addition to a clinical exam to determine the extent of the fracture to determine if the tooth is able to be treated with a root canal and/or crown or if the tooth needs to be extracted.
If the crack extends below the gum line, it is no longer treatable, and the tooth cannot be saved and will need to be extracted. Early treatment is very important in saving a cracked tooth. A cracked tooth that is not treated will progressively get worse, eventually resulting in the loss of the tooth.