The 5 Most Common Ways to Break A Tooth
Tooth enamel is the strongest material in the human body, but your teeth are still subject to cracks and breaks. Learn the facts from our dental health experts and come in to our Surrey dental practice, Derna Dental, as soon as possible if you have a damaged tooth.
If you break or chip your tooth enamel, you might expose your nerve. An exposed nerve is highly sensitive to temperatures and can cause you excruciating pain if it’s not treated immediately. As well, you run the risk of infecting the nerve/root of your tooth and losing the tooth to decay.
Here are the most common ways tooth enamel can break:
- Biting down on a hard object
- A blow to the face or mouth
- Falling
- Cavities that weaken the tooth
- Sport-related injuries
There are many types of tooth breaks:
Minor cracks — These don’t often require treatment but our Surrey dental team may want to smooth out any rough edges to prevent accidental injury your soft tissue or tongue.
Cracked tooth — A cracked tooth involves a fracture down the tooth (or across) and will most likely require a crown.
Chips — Like minor cracks, these won’t typically need treatment but you may want aesthetic treatment.
Broken cusp — This type of break does not affect the pulp/root of the tooth, only the top (the cusp). You may require an onlay or a crown to protect your tooth.
Serious breaks — A serious break exposes the nerve, which will give you excruciating tooth pain. A root canal and crown is generally required to fix a serious break.
Split tooth — If a tooth has split in half, it’s possible to retain the tooth (versus extracting it) with a crown because most teeth have multiple roots.
Vertical breaks or split root — This can cause a lot of pain and irritation because the area surrounding the root may have become infected after the tooth enamel was broken. The tooth is generally removed.
Decay-induced break —If a cavity has weakened the tooth enamel, the tooth may crumble and might need be removed.
Don’t jeopardize your health! If you’re suffering from a broken tooth, schedule an appointment at Derna Dental today for immediate treatment.