Whether from a blow to the face, hard food, or tooth decay, a cracked tooth can cause severe discomfort and affect your ability to eat and speak. A severely cracked tooth is a dental emergency and must be treated promptly to avoid infection and further damage to your oral health. If you need crack tooth repair, contact Gordon Family Dental. We provide high-quality treatment, restoring your smile and oral health.
Treatment for Crack Tooth Repair: Dental Bonding
If you only have a minor cracked tooth or craze lines (thin vertical cracks in the enamel), it is not a dental emergency. However, you should have your cracked tooth repaired as soon as possible to restore the tooth’s appearance and structural integrity.
For a minor cracked tooth, your dentist may prescribe dental bonding treatment. Your dentist uses a high-speed handpiece to grind and shape the crack. Then, they apply a chemical roughening agent to help the composite resin bond to the tooth’s surface. The resin is applied in thin layers hardened between applications with UV light. Your dentist then polishes the repaired tooth to blend in with your natural smile.
Treatment for Crack Tooth Repair: Dental Crown
A cracked cusp or a crack down to the dentin layer can cause increased tooth sensitivity and discomfort and should be considered a dental emergency. Your emergency dentist may recommend a dental crown to strengthen the tooth.
To repair a cracked tooth with a traditional dental crown, the dentist prepares the tooth by removing approximately 0.5mm of enamel and shaping the tooth into a cone. After taking dental impressions, a mould is sent to an offsite lab to fabricate the crown. At a separate appointment around two weeks later, your dentist cements the crown in place.
At Gordon Family Dental, we also offer same-day CEREC crowns. Using digital CAD/CAM technology, we can fabricate the dental crown on-site from a solid block of zirconia ceramic using a milling machine. This allows you to restore your smile in a single session.
Treatment for Crack Tooth Repair: Root Canal Therapy
If the cracked tooth reaches or extends below the gum line or exposes the pulp, you may need a root canal. Root canal therapy for crack tooth repair is a dental emergency. A severe crack can cause significant pain and is at a high risk of infection. The pulp may also have sustained trauma, causing the tissue to become necrotic.
Your emergency dentist applies a local anaesthetic and uses a dental burr to open the crown. After removing the damaged tissue, they smooth the interior of the pulp chamber with a file and apply an antiseptic ointment. Your emergency dentist then fills the chamber with gutta-percha (a natural latex) and fills the crown with composite resin to build up the chewing surface. If the tooth is seriously damaged, you may also need a dental crown placed on top.
Treatment for Crack Tooth Repair: Extraction
If you have a cracked tooth due to deep decay and the tooth cannot be saved with a root canal, you may need an extraction. Depending on whether the tooth is a molar or towards the front of the dental arch, your emergency dentist may need to section the tooth for easier removal.
After loosening the tooth from the socket with a dental elevator, your dentist removes the tooth using forceps. You’ll then need to bite down on gauze to help the socket form a blood clot.
After you have had your tooth removed, talk to your dentist about getting dental implants to restore your smile and confidence.
Visit an Emergency Dentist at Gordon Family Dental for Crack Tooth Repair
If you have a cracked tooth and experience severe discomfort, it may be a dental emergency and require prompt treatment. At Gordon Family Dental, we have time slots set aside during standard business hours to address dental emergencies. You can also call us on our dental emergency number at (02) 9159 6163 to receive urgent dental care outside business hours, seven days a week
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
References
What To Do if You Have a Cracked Molar
https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/cracked-tooth-syndrome/what-to-do-if-you-have-a-cracked-molar#
Dental injury
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/dental-injury
Recent Comments