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Cracked Tooth Treatment Paramus

We Can Help When Teeth Are Damaged

Illustrated broken tooth needing cracked tooth treatment in Paramus

Teeth are very durable, but they might become cracked if you get hit in the face or if you use them to crunch ice or other hard foods. As soon as you realize that you have cracked a tooth, you should give our office a call. The experts at North Jersey Endodontic Group of Paramus can figure out how severe the damage is and determine whether steps need to be taken in order to avoid a tooth extraction and protect your overall oral health with cracked tooth treatment in Paramus.

Why Choose North Jersey Endodontic Group of Paramus for Cracked Tooth Treatment?

  • Same-Day Appointments in Urgent Situations
  • Endodontists You Can Trust
  • Modern Practice Utilizing the Latest Technology

Symptoms of a Cracked Tooth

Man holding his cheek and wincing in pain

Sometimes it’s fairly obvious when a tooth is cracked; you can simply observe the damage for yourself. However, some cracks are in less visible areas, but you may still notice signs that they’re there, such as:

  • Pain that occurs in one particular tooth, especially when you use it to bite down on anything.
  • Increased sensitivity to hot and cold foods.
  • Gum tissue that is noticeably swollen around a specific tooth.

Any possible symptoms of a cracked tooth should be taken seriously. The damage won’t repair itself over time and will likely only grow worse. It is best to call our practice right away when you suspect that your enamel is cracked so that the problem can be dealt with by a professional.

Why Does My Cracked Tooth Hurt So Much?

Woman sitting up in bed holding her cheek in pain

The enamel covering your tooth usually protects the dental pulp from harm. But if the tooth has become cracked, the pieces of the enamel near your pulp could end up causing discomfort when they move. There’s also the fact that cracks in enamel can provide an opening for bacteria, which can attack your pulp and infect it. Needless to say, an infected tooth is typically associated with quite a bit of discomfort. Luckily, with the right treatment, our team can help you find relief from the pain associated with your cracked tooth.

The Treatment Process for Cracked Teeth

Woman receiving cracked tooth treatment from dentist

Since tooth cracks are sometimes more serious than they initially appear, we will need to perform a thorough examination to get a full grasp of how much damage has been done. If we discover that the crack reaches all the way to the pulp, a root canal treatment may be needed in order to protect your oral health in the long term. It should be noted that if we determine that the tooth is beyond salvaging, an extraction will likely be required. However, our team will take every possible step to treat the problem and will always strive to save the tooth whenever possible.

Types of Tooth Cracks

Digital image of four different teeth with different types of cracks

Ultimately, your cracked tooth treatment in Paramus will depend on the severity and type of fracture affecting your tooth, so you may want to be familiar with some of the most common ones! While some types of cracks will be visible to you, many can go past the gumline and are undetectable without an X-ray. That’s part of the reason it’s important to be careful with a cracked tooth and call our office as soon as you notice any abnormalities.

Fractured Cusp

Digital image of a curved crack

A dental cusp is the pointed or rounded “bump” on your tooth’s chewing surface. Daily wear and tear or an accident can weaken the cusp and cause it to fracture, in which case you might see a crack circling right around the edge of the “bump.” These types of tooth cracks rarely extend to the pulp, and it’s more likely you’ll need a crown than endodontic treatment.

Incomplete Crown Fracture

Digital image of a large crack going from the crown to the root

If your dental crack starts from the chewing surface of your tooth (a.k.a. the “crown”) and continues down towards your gumline, then you have an incomplete crown fracture. We’ll be able to salvage your tooth as long as the crack stays above the gumline – but if it goes past and there’s damage to your root, you may need an extraction.

Split Tooth

Digital image of a crack splitting a tooth in half

Split teeth have a very clear fracture line that runs so deep, it “splits” the tooth into two different segments. More often than not, a tooth becomes split when a less severe crack goes untreated for an extended period of time. The pressure being constantly exerted on the tooth from biting and chewing eventually takes its toll. We may be able to preserve some of your split tooth in this case, but likely not all of it.

Vertical Root Fracture

Digital image of a crack starting at the dental root

This is sort of like a reverse incomplete crown fracture. A vertical root fracture starts at the root and extends upwards towards the chewing surface. Since it’s located primarily below the gumline, this type of crack comes with few noticeable symptoms and can go a long time without being detected by patients. Extraction is sometimes necessary, but if we can salvage your tooth by removing the fractured part of the root, then endodontic surgery can be effective.