Cracked Teeth

Act Early

Recognising a Cracked Tooth

Cracks become more common as we age — decades of chewing, large old fillings that leave the tooth walls thin, grinding, and biting something unexpectedly hard all take a toll. The frustrating thing about cracks is that they often don’t show on an X-ray and may be invisible to the eye.

The Telltale Symptoms

Sharp pain when biting down — and often, distinctively, a sharper twinge when you release. Sensitivity to cold or sweet things. Pain that comes and goes rather than being constant. Discomfort that’s hard to pinpoint to one specific tooth.

Why Cracks Need Prompt Attention

A crack flexes every time you chew, and each flex drives it deeper. Treated while it’s confined to the crown, the tooth can usually be saved with a crown that holds it together. Once a crack extends into the pulp, a root canal is needed as well. If it travels below the gumline into the root, the tooth usually can’t be saved and will need extraction and replacement.

How We Diagnose It

We’ll test individual cusps with a bite stick to find which part reproduces the pain, check for sensitivity, examine the tooth under magnification with an intraoral camera, sometimes use special dye, and review X-rays to assess the root and surrounding bone.