How to repair a cracked front tooth

A cracked front tooth is called a hidden crack, which means that a very small crack appears on the surface of the tooth. It is generally not caused by physiological factors. Cracked front teeth can cause toothache, and everyone has experienced this pain. If the crack is not treated in time, the situation may become more and more serious. Therefore, it is important to choose a good method to repair it as soon as possible. So, how to repair a cracked front tooth? Let’s take a look below.

Causes

1. The weak links in the tooth structure are susceptible factors for the occurrence of tooth cracks. These weak links not only have low crack resistance, but are also the areas where stress is concentrated when the teeth are subjected to normal forces.

2. The larger the incline of the tooth tip, the greater the horizontal force generated, and the greater the chance of hidden cracks occurring.

3. Traumatic force: When pathological wear causes high and steep tooth cusps, the inclination of the tooth cusps also increases significantly. The horizontal component of force generated during normal occlusion also increases, forming a traumatic force that causes the enamel plate at the bottom of the pit and fissure to deepen and widen toward the dentin. This is the beginning of hidden cracks. Under the continued action of force, the crack gradually deepens towards the pulp. Traumatic force is the cause of tooth cracks.

Clinical manifestations

Superficial fissures often have no obvious symptoms, but deeper ones may be sensitive to hot or cold stimuli, or cause discomfort when biting. Deep hidden cracks have reached the deep layer of dentin and often have symptoms of chronic pulpitis. Sometimes they may also have acute attacks and cause fixed-point severe pain when chewing. If the above symptoms occur but no deep caries or deep periodontal pockets are found in the affected teeth, and no allergic points can be found on the tooth surface, the presence of hidden tooth fractures should be considered. Generally, a sharp probe can be used for examination. If the hidden cracks are not obvious, iodine tincture can be applied to penetrate the hidden cracks and stain them to make them clear. Sometimes placing a probe on the fissure and applying pressure or prying with force may cause pain. Grinding along the fissure revealed that the crack had reached the deep layer of dentin. Place a cotton swab on the cusp of the suspected tooth and ask the patient to bite down. If a brief tearing pain occurs, the tooth may have a hidden crack.

treat

1. Superficial cracks without obvious symptoms and with normal pulp vitality can be treated to reduce the lateral splitting force. Prevent cracks from deepening; you can also prepare a cavity, grind off the cracks as much as possible, and then do preventive filling.

2. For those with deeper cracks or existing pulp lesions, the cusp bevel should be adjusted extensively during pulp treatment to completely remove the fracture-causing force on the affected tooth and the tooth should be restored with a full crown in a timely manner after treatment. During the treatment of endodontic disease, surface perforation causes the crack's ability to withstand force to be greatly reduced. Even though the bite is lowered during treatment, it is very easy for the tooth to split from the crack due to chewing and other reasons. Therefore, at the beginning of endodontic treatment, a ring can be bonded to protect the crown, and a full crown restoration should be performed after the endodontic treatment is completed.