Cracked tooth action??

[deano85]

Hi guys, i dont come on here as often as i should, mainly as i tend to steer away from the whole dental subject if i can get away with it...

Just looking for some reassurance really.
Last night i felt something on my tooth and after inspection i could see a crack.
Totally painless and almost invisable to the eye, but it goes from top to bottom of the tooth on the inside of a bottom, back tooth.
Reading the NHS webside theres lots of scary words being thrown around like extractions and crowns and canels...
What is a dentist actually likely to say/want to do?
Surely is not going to be that dramatic??
I hope not :-O

Thanks, Dean

 

[letsconnect]

Hi deano, I'm not a dentist but from your description and in the absence of any symptoms, it's likely that what you've spotted are craze lines - shallow cracks which only affect the outer enamel of your teeth (making them merely a cosmetic imperfection). A real cracked tooth has a crack which reaches the layer below the enamel (the dentine) or the nerve of the tooth. You'd often have symptoms such as pain when chewing or biting though if that was the case.

Perhaps you could let your dentist have a look and reassure you?

All the best

 

[deano85]

hi, I really hope your right, but it did appear very suddenly and I can feel it with my tongue (although a tongue does have a habit of making things feel huge)
what sort of treatment would a crack you describe entail?
there is already a filling in this tooth
thanks, Dean

 

[Enarete]

Hi Dean,

assuming it really is a crack.. if it helps, I had two cracked teeth recently. I wasn't able to see the crack and neither did my dentist, but as I had pain when biting on that tooth and everything else seemed normal, it was clear that it was a crack. My dentist explained to me that cracks are quite unpredictable and the treatment can be everything from a filling to a root canal treatment, depending on how deep it is (keep in mind that I had a lot of pain at that time and wasn't able to use the tooth at all). A simple, not even deep filling did the trick for one of those teeth. The second one didn't get treated yet but will get a filling in two weeks as well. Should my pain still stay after a filling, we would have to take further course of action. My dentist also told me that we were not treating the crack as such as this wasn't possible but the symptoms and if a filling doesn't help, we might even go for a crown or a root treatment (again, remember that I am in pain once I chew on the tooth). He also told me that cracks can stay years like this so no need to rush with the treatment if I didn't feel able to cope too soon. What we did to prevent the crack from getting worse, was fitting a night guard as my dentist was sure that I grind my teeth at night which caused the crack.

So putting it together, maybe you won't need a treatment at all or maybe a small filling will do the magic. The best advice is to let a dentist have a look and suggest a course of treatment and the most important thing is not to panic too soon.

All the best wishes.

 

[letsconnect]

Can't really add anything to what Enarete has said .

Hopefully you can get it checked out and your mind put to rest!

 

[deano85]

well, im booked in tomorrow, not looking forward to it but I know they wont do anything tomorrow, so I should be fine. apparently its been a while since ive last been (tell me about it)so I will need a 'full assessment'
dreading they might fin something else.

 

[deano85]

Ok, so ive been...
They want to take it out...
She said teeth are hardbto save if the crack goes below the gumline, which this does.
She said she was referring me for sedation so thats good news i guess, but it may take up to 8 weeks...
So now im paranoid to eat on that side incase it gets worse.
She said theres no infection and it isnt loose at all, so can i expect it to worsen over christmas or do you think it will last?
Eugh

 

[letsconnect]

Sorry to hear that it's a bad crack - what a bummer . I suppose it would be a good idea to baby the tooth until the appointment and try and chew on the other side (which may be easier said than done if it's not painful).

Good to hear that you managed to get a referral though!

 

[Enarete]

My heart is with you, Deano, so sorry to read this If you chew on the other site as letsconnect suggests, it will surely last. Glad to read that you got the referral at least..
Did your dentist explain to you where the crack comes from?

 

[deano85]

she asked if I was a grinder, which im not really. so im not sure what caused it.
frustrating really as I take really good care of my teeth, but it don't appear to be enough

 

[Enarete]

I'm not a dentist but cracked teeth sound more like something mechanical. I do not believe it was your fault or has to do with your dental care. Grinding / clenching happens during sleep so it would only make sense that you do not know wether you grind or not..

 

[deano85]

Ok, so it didnt last...
A bit came off, feels horrible.
Rang dentist, thinking i may have to just deal with it, and het it out normally... even though about seeing a doc first to see if they could give me something to get through the door
Turns out the dentist cant do anything till jan anyway...
So so paranoid its going to get worse, although it looks strong.
There is a big filling in the tooth and its basicly an inside corner thats come off, so i can see the fillings side.
I imagine the rest of the tooth must be bonded fairly well to the filling??
Or will the filling come out??

I dont want to think about it anymore, might just give up food forever lol

 

[Enarete]

So sorry to read this, you have been really unlucky with that tooth Sadly I can't tell you wether it might keep breaking further or not but will keep my fingers crossed for it to stay the way it is. The part I didn't get right was that your dentist couldn't do anything about it til Jan anyway.. are they so fully booked that they can't get you in even to get it out normally?

 

[letsconnect]

Hi deano, I'm not sure if you saw the reply to your other post (which I moved) in the Dentistry Questions section:

Argh, its happened

Hi, i was here last week as id cracked my tooth. Today, it crunched, and a chunk fell out! I dont know what to do, it feels horrid. It was hoing to be extracted via sedation but could still be 2 months away, and with Christmas coming, i dont want to risk pain... So, how long does an extraction...

www.dentalfearcentral.org

 

[deano85]

Hi, yer basicly the are booked till jan (although i bet they could make room if I went private somewhere)
I just hope it lasts, it feels sharp but i can cope if stays the same.
The horror situation would be the inside comes away, then the filling comes out??

Yer, i saw it had been moved, thanks