What does a cracked tooth have to do with endodontics?

26 May What does a cracked tooth have to do with endodontics?

Have you ever bitten into an extremely hard cookie and heard a sickening crunch? Or maybe, you hit your face on a wall or on the ground and heard that same sickening crunch. Ouch, you might have just cracked your tooth. Your tooth can also crack from normal wear or, more commonly, in people who grind or clench their teeth. The pain ranges in intensity but, is painful no matter what. Wait, there is also aesthetic damage to consider if the tooth is in the front of your mouth. No more saying cheese in pictures for awhile, I guess.

Although endodontic therapy is commonly known as root canal therapy, it is still applicable for cracked teeth. If we’re being technical, endodontics is the dental specialty specific to the study and treatment of dental pulp. And so, the dental pulp in the tooth could be injured when your tooth cracks. Dental pulp, if you don’t know, contains nerves, arterioles, venules, lymphatic and fibrous tissue, all of which could be painful if it was infected. Endodontic treatment is necessary to save your teeth from further damage.

There are several symptoms of cracked teeth. Here is a list:

1. Sharp pain when biting onto another tooth
2. Sharp pain when tooth releases from another food, perhaps it occurs when eating fibrous foods
3. Painful to grind teeth in any direction
4. Sharp pain drinking cold drinks and eating cold food or drinking/eating sugary substance

The pain may or may not be in one tooth. It could be an entire section of the mouth, if things get worse. Unfortunately there are not many ways to prevent cracked teeth except for not grinding/clenching your teeth, wearing a mouthguard when playing contact sports and not chewing on hard objects.

But you don’t have to worry about that if you go through with endodontic therapy. A fracture in a cracked tooth might not heal because the cracks could continue to separate causing you to lose an entire tooth. If you place a crown on the cracked tooth, then you will have maximum protection but not guaranteed success. The treatment is focused on relieving your pain and reducing the possibility of a worsening crack in your tooth. Cracked teeth can still function and you can still eat any food you want just with caution.

Your endodontist will provide you with a specific prognosis and treatment plan so, you have a solution to your problem. Beverly Hills Endodontics is the perfect place to go to fix your cracked teeth because it provides a series of painless endodontic treatments. For more information, schedule an appointment with Dr. Yadegar, your trusted Beverly Hills Endodontist.