What is a tooth fracture?
There are many reasons why patients come to the dentist’s office, but one of the most common is tooth fracture, as teeth can fracture for various reasons.
The most common types of fractures in dental pieces are:
- Fracture or fissure of the enamel.
- Coronary fracture in which there is no pulp involvement. An injury that affects the enamel and dentin, but not the pulp.
- Coronary fracture with pulp involvement: affects enamel and pulp.
- Intraalveolar root fracture: mobility of the coronal fragment
- Coronal-radicular fracture: there is a fracture in the crown and root of the tooth.
Prognosis of tooth fracture
There are several treatment options. In the most severe case of tooth fracture, extraction of the tooth would be necessary.
Symptoms of tooth fracture
The most common signs and symptoms of a tooth fracture are:
- There is a sharp pain when biting, which comes and goes very quickly.
- The patient feels pain when trying to eat or drink.
- The pain comes and goes
- There is discomfort when drinking or eating something cold or hot.
- There are no symptoms
- There may be sensitivity to touch
Medical tests for tooth fracture
At first, an observation of the condition of the jaw and of the tooth in particular will be made.
In turn, a physical examination will be performed to see if there is displacement or excessive mobility of the tooth when it is touched. In addition, an X-ray in orthoradial position will be taken to check its condition.
What are the causes of tooth fracture?
There are various reasons why a tooth may break. And it should be clear that not only impacts to the face can cause a tooth fracture, since in cases where oral hygiene has been neglected, it is possible to suffer a fracture or even lose a tooth. The most common causes of tooth fracture are:
- Severe dental caries
- Decalcification of the tooth
- Receiving an impact or trauma to the jaw or mouth area.
- Wear or demineralization of the tooth enamel.
- Bruxism: the person tends to grind and clench the teeth.
- The shape of the patient’s smile, if the teeth are too close together, pressure can occur and cause the fracture.
- Teeth that have undergone root canal treatment.
Can tooth fracture be prevented?
It is possible to prevent a tooth fracture in cases where the fracture is caused by poor oral hygiene.
However, it is impossible to prevent a fracture caused by trauma or blow.
Treatments for tooth fracture
Nowadays there are different treatment options for a tooth fracture, including crowns, root canal treatment or tooth bonding.
First of all, it will be necessary to go to the dentist’s office, so that the dentist can assess the damage and select the best treatment option.
If the breakage of the tooth is small, it can be solved in two ways:
- Filling the area that has been damaged.
- Use a dental veneer to cover the damage.
If the breakage of the tooth is large, the possible solution will be to find out whether or not there is any damage to the root. Normally, the treatment will be to use a dental crown to restore the shape of the tooth, preserving its functionality and giving it a natural appearance.
If there is damage to the root, it will be necessary to perform a root canal before placing the crown, although in some cases it will be necessary to extract the tooth and place an implant.
What specialist treats a tooth fracture?
The specialist in charge of diagnosing and treating a tooth fracture is the dentist.