If you’re considering what to do for a cracked tooth, then a dental crown provides the ideal solution.
With the technology and techniques that modern dentistry provides, many dentists can fully restore cracked or worn out teeth without the need to fit a dental crown. For example, dental bonding is a cost-effective way of fixing slight tooth cracks and chips, while dental veneers can cover various dental problems.
These dental fixes are all done without the need to modify the tooth’s structure. Yet, dental crowns still provide a solid solution for a cracked tooth and here’s why?
A damaged tooth is a weaker tooth
While fixing a cracked tooth with minimal damage is often completed using less invasive methods, any hairline crack (known as craze lines) may lead to cavities if proper dental hygiene is not exercised. So in effect, any crack, chip, or blemish can weaken a tooth.
Of course, both dental bonding and porcelain veneers offer some protection; however, these procedures provide strong but brittle replacements. On the other hand, dental crowns are double the thickness of a porcelain veneer and cover the whole tooth making it more durable and resistant to wear and tear.
A cracked tooth doesn’t heal
While there is some evidence to suggest that tiny craze lines can self-heal through a process known as remineralisation, larger tooth cracks cannot.
So even if you do restore a tooth – cosmetically or otherwise – the damage remains.
Ultimately any excess force or pressure placed on the tooth can cause existing cracks to widen. When further damage occurs, it can cause pain, sensitivity and exacerbate cracking, extending beyond the tooth and into the gum line.
By capping a cracked tooth with a dental crown, this process allows you to provide further protection for any remaining healthy tooth structure and avoid more severe tooth damage.
In other words, the presence of a dental crown will hold the entire tooth structure together while simultaneously absorbing the pressure of a bite and protecting the cracked tooth underneath.
A cracked tooth can lead to infection
If you are still contemplating what to do for a cracked tooth, you might want to consider this.
Your mouth is home to approximately 6 billion bacteria (over 700 different varieties), some good, some bad. As you can imagine, a crack in the surface of your tooth makes it easy for bacteria to enter. When it does, it penetrates through the enamel and the dentin (the yellowish hard tissue right below your enamel) and into the pulp chamber. The pulp chamber is the engine-house of the tooth and is where the blood vessels, tissues and nerves are found. When infection penetrates the inner workings of the tooth, it can cause a great deal of discomfort. Moreover, when bacteria attack the tooth from within, the otherwise healthy tooth dies.
Inevitably, your dentist will perform a root canal (endodontic therapy), which involves
- Cleaning out the infected chambers
- Back-filing them with a resin-like material (gutta percha)
- Sealing the chamber off
Finally, a dental crown is placed over the now-defunct tooth to protect and save it from extraction.
Alternatively, a dentist could have fitted a dental crown when the crack first appeared, saving you a great deal of discomfort, inconvenience and expense.
Now you know why dental crowns are a good option for cracked teeth, let’s talk about dental crowns themselves.
The dental crown – All you need to know
Dental crowns are custom-made in a dental laboratory, although they can also be designed and milled in the dental practice using CEREC Cad/Cam technology. A variety of metals, ceramic, porcelain and resin, are commonly used to make dental crowns, and many crowns are a combination of materials such as porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM). The latter provides a good mix of aesthetics and strength.
The dental crown procedure itself takes a couple of visits to fix a cracked tooth.
During visit #1, your dentist will
- Take a series of x-rays to discover the extent of the damage
- Take any impressions to make your permanent dental crown
- Numb the area around the tooth and prepare it for the new crown
- Apply a composite material to the site to fill any large cracks or chips
- Fit you with a temporary crown
Then, during your second visit, your dentist will
- Remove the temporary crown
- Fit your permanent crown
- Check for comfort, fit and bite
***Note – Using the CEREC procedure, dentists can design, manufacture and place a fully customised and lifelike dental crown that same day. So there is no need for a second visit***
How long can dental crowns protect a cracked tooth?
On average, modern-day dental crowns can last for ten to fifteen years. However, with proper care and attention, including good dental hygiene and regular dental visits, some dental crowns are known to last for decades.
What to do for a cracked tooth? – Key points
A good dentist will discuss your options with you. They should treat you with the long-term goal of preserving the tooth and your oral health. Often this may mean choosing a dental crown.
Modern dental crowns look good aesthetically and are durable, often lasting for several decades. Once in position, dental crowns provide the utmost protection for a cracked tooth and are designed to take the full chewing force when you eat.
If you are contemplating what to do for a cracked tooth and would like to know more about crowns, then talk to our teams at No Gaps Dental. We have 15 locations conveniently positioned in and around the Sydney Metro area so patients can call in at their nearest site.
Schedule an appointment today and let them show you how we can help. Call us on (02) 8806 0227 today.