Cracked Tooth

A cracked tooth usually announces itself in one way: a sharp jolt when you release a bite, not when you press down. Cracks range from harmless lines in the enamel to a split that reaches the root. At Pearl32 Dentistry and Wellness in Laguna Hills, we find them with a bite test, dye, a light through the tooth and a cone beam scan. Treatment depends on how deep the crack runs. Same-day emergency slots are held each weekday.

What kind of crack do you have?

Dentists sort cracks into five kinds, and the kind decides everything. Craze lines are shallow cracks in the enamel only. They are common in adults and need no treatment.

Fractured cusp, cracked tooth, split tooth

A fractured cusp breaks a corner off, often around an old silver filling, and usually spares the nerve. A cracked tooth runs from the chewing surface toward the root and may reach the pulp. A split tooth is that same crack after the segments separate.

Vertical root fracture

This one begins in the root and travels upward. It often shows first as a narrow band of bone loss beside the root on an x-ray. Most of these teeth cannot be saved.

What does a cracked tooth feel like?

The signature symptom is pain on release, not on pressure. You bite a piece of bread, nothing happens, then you let go and a sharp jolt runs through the tooth. That is the crack flexing and closing on the nerve. Cold sensitivity that comes and goes is the second common sign.

Symptoms wander. People often cannot say which tooth it is, and they point to the wrong jaw. That is normal, because the nerve supply is shared. Pain that lingers after cold, or an ache that wakes you at night, means the nerve is already inflamed and the plan changes.

How is a crack found?

Finding a crack takes four simple tests, not guesswork. You bite on a small plastic tool, one cusp at a time, and we watch which release hurts. A dye is painted on to stain the line. A bright light held against the side of the tooth shows where light does not pass through.

If those point to a deep crack, a cone beam scan shows the bone around the root. Flat x-rays rarely show cracks directly, which surprises people. Our digital imaging is used when it changes the plan. We also remove an old filling and look directly under magnification when needed.

How is each type treated?

Treatment follows the depth. Craze lines are photographed and watched. A fractured cusp is restored with an onlay or a crown that covers the remaining cusps and binds them together.

A cracked tooth with a healthy nerve gets full coverage as well, often a crown designed and milled here in one visit. See same-day crowns. If the nerve is already inflamed, a root canal comes first and the crown follows. A split tooth or a vertical root fracture usually means extraction, and we discuss an implant or a bridge at the same visit.

Why does waiting make it worse?

Cracks grow under chewing load, and chewing happens every day. A crack that reaches only into dentin can often be saved with a crown alone. The same crack six months later may reach the pulp, which adds a root canal. Further still and it splits the root, which ends the tooth.

That is why we hold same-day emergency appointment slots Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. If you cannot be seen at once, chew on the other side and avoid ice and hard nuts. A crack does not heal and it does not close.

What does treatment for a cracked tooth cost?

Cost depends on the crack and on what the tooth needs, and it is quoted in writing, itemized, after an examination. A crown alone and a root canal plus a crown are different plans, so we give you both figures when the outcome is uncertain at the start.

We are in network with most major PPO plans and Delta Dental HMO. Third party financing is available and the practice is not the creditor, through CareCredit, Cherry, Sunbit and Happen Bank (formerly LendingClub). See financing if you want to spread the cost.

Questions people ask about cracked Tooth

Why does it hurt when I let go, not when I bite down?

Biting presses the two halves of the crack together, which is tolerable. Releasing lets them spring apart, and fluid moves inside the dentin tubules. That movement fires the nerve as a quick jolt. It is the most reliable sign of a crack in a back tooth, and it is the first thing we test with a small biting tool.

Can a cracked tooth heal on its own?

No. Enamel and dentin do not repair themselves the way bone does. A crack under daily chewing load tends to extend. The useful question is whether it can be held together before it reaches the nerve or the root. A crown or onlay does that by binding the cusps, which is why we do not simply watch a symptomatic crack.

Will a crown fix the pain?

Usually, when the nerve is only irritated. Full coverage keeps the segments from flexing, and symptoms often settle within two to four weeks. Sometimes the nerve does not recover and a root canal follows through the crown. We tell you that possibility before we start, because it changes the total cost and the number of visits.

Can you see a crack on an x-ray?

Rarely, and that is worth knowing. A crack runs in a plane that flat x-rays usually miss. Bone loss beside one root can hint at a vertical root fracture, and a cone beam scan shows that pattern clearly. Most cracks are found with a bite test, dye, light through the tooth and direct inspection under magnification.

I cracked a tooth this morning. Can I be seen today?

Call (949) 830-0074 and ask for an emergency slot. We hold same-day appointments Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Until you arrive, chew on the other side and avoid very hot or very cold drinks. Over the counter ibuprofen taken as directed on the label helps most people. Bring a list of your medications.

This page is general information, not a diagnosis. What is right for you can only be decided after an examination.