Causes and Concerns when a Tooth Cracks or Breaks
“My tooth broke for no reason,” is a phrase heard frequently in an Empire Dental Arts affiliated practice. There often is a reason, but it might not be immediately apparent. Aside from sudden, traumatic injuries caused by an accident, a tooth can crack due to a variety of reasons. These can include age, large fillings that weaken the tooth’s integrity, nighttime tooth grinding (otherwise known as bruxism), or snacking on hard foods such as popcorn kernels, ice cubes, nuts or even a crisp carrot.
Some people use their teeth as tools to help open packages (raise your hand if you’re guilty) while still other times, sudden temperature extremes can cause a tooth to crack. This is in addition to physical incidents in sports, on the playground or at home.
Regardless of the reason for a broken or cracked tooth, here are some guidelines to follow for proper treatment.
Severe Pain/Trauma Requires Emergency Treatment
A sudden impact, a fall or a sports injury that results in trauma or severe pain would trigger an emergency visit. For example, a fall that breaks a tooth off or in half, blood loss and a pain level five or higher on a scale of one to ten should trigger an immediate call and the dental office will assemble a team at the office for treatment.
Any type of facial injury that goes beyond a broken tooth and impacts a larger area of the face, would require a visit to the emergency room. Injuries like this would include:
- A broken jaw (or suspicion of it being broken)
- Multiple lacerations
- Eye issues
- Damaged or broken Facial bones
In these instances, seek emergency care at the nearest medical facility.
Remember the Mouth is an Oral System
In other instances, a call to the dentist, even on a weekend, is the best plan. Someone from the office will return the call to assess the situation or arrange for a staff member to call back the following Monday to schedule an appointment. It is important to remember not to put off an office visit.
People with a cracked or slightly sensitive tooth might believe the issue is confined to just that one object, forgetting that the mouth is part of a larger system.
When one thing is thrown off, such as a cracked tooth, this can impact the gums, tongue, the muscles. It might not be noticeable immediately, but one issue will create a snowball effect that builds over time, causing larger problems.
The longer a person waits, the narrower the options for repair and often, the more expensive treatment becomes. Empire Dental Arts dentists prefer to offer its patients the broadest range of options possible. A simple fix for a cracked or broken tooth could be as simple as a filling or a crown, however, the longer a person waits for repairs, the more extensive (and expensive) the treatment could become.
Evaluation and Scheduling
The State of Ohio has mandated mouth guards for athletic activities and mouth injuries such as cracked or broken teeth from school sports is a rarity. Most often the types of incidents that Empire Dental Arts practitioners see will occur at a worksite, on a playground or in a backyard, such as someone swinging a toy or a tool and accidentally striking someone in the mouth.
If not a traumatic injury, evaluate the pain level and call during office hours to schedule an appointment. While parents are generally responsible about getting immediate care for their children who might have a cracked or broken tooth, adults are less likely to exert the same level of effort for themselves.
Often the biggest barrier to proper oral attention can be simple human procrastination or lack of self-care. In other words, don’t let a job or other responsibilities get in the way of attending to a cracked or broken tooth, even if there isn’t any immediate pain associated with it. The longer a person waits, the more likely the condition will get worse and eventually cause some pain.
Establish a Relationship with your Dental Office
The best way to get a cracked or broken tooth the attention it needs is through having an established relationship with a dental office, for a few reasons. First, preventive care can help pinpoint weak areas within the mouth where there is the potential for a tooth to crack or break, supplying the opportunity to take proper measures to fix and repair problem areas.
Secondly, although members of the dental profession subscribe to the philosophy of providing swift and helpful care to patients in need, it is easier to get an appointment and obtain the proper treatment when the dental office has records from previous visits. Dental care goes beyond the simple physical mechanics of tooth repair and can involve the psychology of patient treatment as well.
Empire Dental Arts has eight affiliated practices throughout Northeast Ohio with flexible scheduling to help fit your availability. Whether you’re a recent transplant to Northeast Ohio and looking for a new dental practice or have a growing family of active children and need dental care, contact us to learn which location is nearest you.