Vertical Crack / Craze in Bottom Molar

[michisafraid]

Hi everyone,

I had my teeth cleaned on Monday and they have been sensitive since then. Well I also grind my teeth at night and wear a mouth guard. I get pain in different teeth all the time and it is hard to know when I have an actual toothache and when it is teeth grinding pain. So last night I was munching on crackers and I had pain in a bottom molar - the second last tooth. I also had sensitivity to cold. Well I looked at the tooth and noticed a vertical crack on the side of it and I panicked! I was up all night worried sick. I called my dentist when his office opened this morning and asked if I could come in and they said yes. I had one of the worst panic attacks of my life on the way to his office! I kept thinking he would tell me I need the tooth pulled due to the crack and with my anxiety so bad I did not know how I would be able to sit there and get that done. Plus I worried about post-extraction bleeding and almost threw up! He did x-rays and looked at it and told me it is a crack / craze and we didn't need to treat it at all! I breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down. Now, back home I am and I am just worn out! I am starting to wonder how long I have had this crack....did it just form...has it been there a while and I just noticed it last night? Why does this happen to teeth and can it get worse? I am scared having this...

 

[lillyh]

Hello,
I am a tooth grinder also and all 6 of my front bottom teeth show it..they all have some sort of wear and tear and tiny cracks and my dentist does not do anything to them..He just tells me "you can tell you grind your teeth!"I suppose it I crack one off or chip it he will fix it..If your dentist isn't worried about them then you can relax too....

 

[michisafraid]

Hello,
I am a tooth grinder also and all 6 of my front bottom teeth show it..they all have some sort of wear and tear and tiny cracks and my dentist does not do anything to them..He just tells me "you can tell you grind your teeth!"I suppose it I crack one off or chip it he will fix it..If your dentist isn't worried about them then you can relax too....

Hi lillyh,

Thank you so much! Isn't it terrible the damage we do to our teeth from our grinding them? Uggg It really bothers me and the sad part is we cannot control it when we are asleep. Do you wear a night guard? Mine helps me but I still get some pain and little chips here and there in my teeth. This is my first crack though. I have some crazing on some teeth but this crack looks different than the teeth with the crazing. You are so right if my dentist isn't concerned than I shouldn't be either but my anxious mind is. Thank you so much again for your reply, I appreciate it.

 

[lillyh]

No, I don't wear a nightguard but my dentist mentioned a splint? I woke myself up last night grinding my teeth..I was stressed from being at the dentist even though it went fine!! My anxious mind! I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to dental stuff and teeth..I look at my bottom teeth when I brush them and see pits and cracks in them and I worry too..I have atypical odontalgia and my teeth hurt all the time, worse when I grind them..I have a lot of bone loss too(bad genetics) and grinding doesn't help. Next year may be denture time!! LOL..Have a great weekend...